Venezuela's María Machado not in Oslo to collect her Nobel Peace Prize

4 days ago 11

Oslo, Norway — Venezuelan absorption person María Corina Machado volition miss the ceremonial to grant her the Nobel Peace Prize successful Oslo connected Wednesday, the caput of the Norwegian Nobel Institute said.

Machado past appeared successful nationalist 11 months ago. Nobel Institute manager Kristian Berg Harpviken told nationalist broadcaster NRK the Venezuelan absorption person was not successful the Norwegian superior connected the time of the ceremonial and her girl volition judge the prize connected Machado's behalf.

"We corroborate that she volition not be the Nobel ceremony, but we are optimistic astir her beingness connected the remainder of the day's agenda," said Machado's spokesperson, Claudia Macero. She did not springiness accusation connected Machado's existent location.

Harpviken said conscionable 4 days ago that Machado confirmed to him that she would be the ceremony, though helium said astatine the clip that, "given the information situation, we cannot accidental much astir the day oregon however she volition arrive."

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Is Intercepted After Joining Anti-government Protest

Prominent Latin American figures planned to be Wednesday's ceremonial successful a awesome of solidarity with Machado, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, Panama's President José Raúl Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña.

Machado has been surviving successful hiding and has not been seen successful nationalist since Jan. 9, erstwhile she was concisely detained aft joining supporters successful a protestation successful Caracas, Venezuela's capital.

The 58-year-old's triumph for her conflict to execute a antiauthoritarian modulation successful her South American federation was announced connected Oct. 10, and she was described arsenic a pistillate "who keeps the occurrence of ideology burning amid a increasing darkness."

Machado won an absorption superior predetermination and intended to situation President Nicolás Maduro successful past year's statesmanlike election, but the authorities barred her from moving for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo González took her place.

The lead-up to the July 28, 2024 predetermination saw wide repression, including disqualifications, arrests and quality rights violations. That accrued aft the country's National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared the incumbent the winner.

González sought asylum successful Spain past twelvemonth aft a Venezuelan tribunal issued a warrant for his arrest.

U.N. quality rights officials and galore autarkic rights groups person expressed concerns astir the concern successful Venezuela, and called for Maduro to beryllium held accountable for the crackdown connected dissent.

Five past Nobel Peace Prize laureates were detained oregon imprisoned astatine the clip of the award, according to the prize's authoritative website, astir precocious Iranian activistic Narges Mohammadi successful 2023 and Belarusian quality rights advocator Ales Bialiatski successful 2022.

The others were Liu Xiaobo of China successful 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar successful 1991 and Carl von Ossietzky of Germany successful 1935.

"There is simply a agelong contented that erstwhile a Peace Prize laureate cannot beryllium present, adjacent household members correspond them," Harpviken said. "That happened with Narges Mohammadi, and with Ales Bialiatski; some were imprisoned astatine the time. And the aforesaid volition hap with Maria Corina Machado today. The girl volition present the connection her parent has written."