Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Maria Colina Machado
In an unexpected announcement on Wednesday morning, the Norwegian Nobel Committee shared that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado is headed to Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, reports indicate that Machado will not be present to accept the award in person during the ceremony on Wednesday. Christian Berg, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, mentioned on Norway’s NRK that Machado was not in the country, and her current location was unknown.
For the past year, Machado has faced threats of arrest from the Maduro government in Venezuela, leading her to live in hiding. The last known public sighting of her was at a peaceful protest in Caracas on January 9, 2025.
Not long after the initial announcement, the Nobel Committee released a phone call recording between Machado and Jørgen Watne Fridnes, Chairman of the committee. In the call, Machado expressed her regret that she wouldn’t arrive in time for the ceremony.
In her message, she stated, “As soon as we arrive, we will be able to hug our families and children that we haven’t seen in two years, as well as the many Venezuelan-Norwegian people we know who share our struggle.”
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony took place in Oslo at 1 PM local time. Machado’s daughter, Ana Colina Sosa Machado, accepted the award on her mother’s behalf and delivered a speech she had prepared.
In her address, Sosa Machado touched upon the collapse of Venezuela under the Maduro regime, detailing the government’s harsh treatment of dissenters. She recounted the events surrounding the controversial elections of July 28, 2024, and how the Venezuelan opposition gathered evidence of electoral fraud by Maduro.
She also highlighted the barriers Machado faced in participating in the elections, noting that only Edmundo González, a former diplomat, was allowed to run against Maduro, who ultimately lost in a landslide.
Sosa Machado emphasized, “But voting alone was not enough. We had to protect it. We’ve spent over a year building the necessary infrastructure: 600,000 volunteers at 30,000 polling stations, apps to scan QR codes, and call centers.” She elaborated on how technology was utilized for freedom’s sake, involving tactics like deploying scanners and Starlink antennas hidden in fruit trucks.
“Secret training sessions were held early in the morning, using printed materials that moved throughout Venezuela like contraband,” she added.
The uncertainty around Machado’s travel to Norway and her participation in the Nobel process has been debated for weeks, notably because of the constant threats from the Maduro regime and her existing travel ban.
An arrest warrant, issued by the Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, accused Machado of “treason,” threatening to label her a “fugitive” if she dared to leave the country. Since the alleged election fraud last year, Machado has been in hiding.
At the time of reporting, several Latin American leaders, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Panama’s José Raúl Mulino, were present in Oslo to support Machado during the ceremony.
In his speech, Jørgen Watne Fridnes said, “Today we salute you, Maria Colina Machado. We also honor all those waiting in the dark: those who have been arrested, tortured, or gone missing. Those who whisper words of freedom in Caracas and across Venezuela.” He concluded with an optimistic note about freedom and a hopeful future for Venezuela.
