María Corina Machado Defies Venezuela 'Fugitive' Threat to Accept Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is expected to emerge from hiding to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo today despite warnings from the Maduro regime that she will be declared a fugitive.

The 58-year-old has not been seen publicly for 11 months. Her whereabouts remained unknown even as Nobel officials postponed a scheduled press conference on Tuesday, though they expressed confidence she would appear at the ceremony.

Machado's family arrived in the Norwegian capital ahead of the event. Her 84-year-old mother, Corina Parisca de Machado, told AFP she never imagined her daughter would win such recognition.

Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, has warned that Machado faces arrest if she attempts to return home. He told AFP last month that she is accused of 'acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, terrorism' and is under investigation for supporting US military deployment in the Caribbean.

'By being outside Venezuela and having numerous criminal investigations, she is considered a fugitive,' Saab said.

Norway Tightens Security Ahead of Ceremony

A large police presence has been stationed outside the Grand Hotel in central Oslo, which traditionally hosts Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

The ceremony at Oslo City Hall will see Machado receive the diploma, medal, and monetary prize before approximately one thousand guests, including Norway's royal family and several heads of state.

Argentine President Javier Milei and Panama's President José Raúl Mulino are among the Latin American leaders attending. The ceremony will mark the largest gathering of heads of state at a Nobel event since the 2012 prize awarded to the European Union.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Machado the prize in October for 'her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy'.

Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes described her as 'one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times'.

From Opposition Candidate to Life in Hiding

Machado has spent more than two decades challenging Venezuela's authoritarian leadership. An industrial engineer by profession and former member of the National Assembly, she was barred from contesting the July 2024 presidential election after polls suggested she would defeat incumbent Nicolás Maduro.

Rather than withdraw, she threw her support behind substitute candidate Edmundo González. The opposition claims voter tally sheets showed González won by a margin of more than two to one, though Maduro's government declared itself the winner.

Machado went into hiding following a crackdown on opposition figures. She was last seen publicly on 9 January when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in a protest in Caracas. The following day, Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term.

The prize marks Venezuela's first Nobel Peace Prize. Machado dedicated the award to the 'suffering people of Venezuela' and to US President Donald Trump 'for his decisive support of our cause'.

Controversy Surrounds Award

Not everyone has welcomed the decision. The Norwegian Peace Council cancelled its traditional participation in the ceremony for the first time in the award's history, citing concerns that Machado does not align with the council's values of promoting dialogue and non-violent solutions.

Critics point to her support for US sanctions against Venezuela and her backing of increased American military presence in the Caribbean.

Machado has described the military pressure as a 'necessary measure' toward restoring democracy.

If Machado leaves Venezuela to collect her prize, it remains uncertain whether the Maduro regime will permit her return. For now, the world watches Oslo to see whether the woman known as Venezuela's 'Iron Lady' will finally step out of the shadows.