Venezuela’s Machado arrives in Norway hours after Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

By Lex Harvey, Stefano Pozzebon, Sophie Tanno, Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado arrived in Oslo overnight after more than a year in hiding, hours after her daughter accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Machado waved to supporters from the balcony of the Grand Hotel in the Norwegian capital in the early hours of Thursday, and later walked among them in a square outside.

The Nobel laureate had been expected to attend Wednesday’s acceptance ceremony, in defiance of a decade-long travel ban placed on her. She went into hiding after the Venezuelan government moved to crush dissent following last year’s disputed election, resurfacing only briefly at a protest in January against President Nicolás Maduro being sworn in for another term.

Organisers of the Nobel ceremony on Wednesday said Machado had “done everything in her power to attend today’s ceremony” but that “her journey involved extreme danger.”

Maduro’s government has warned she would be considered a “fugitive” by authorities should she leave Venezuela.

In an audio recording released by the Norwegian Nobel Institute before the ceremony, Machado, 58, thanked those who had “risked their lives” for her to travel to Norway.

Machado is scheduled to hold a press conference in Oslo on Thursday alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to organizers. Before that, she is due to visit the Norwegian parliament building, where she will meet with lawmakers.

Machado’s trip comes as the United States is escalating pressure on Maduro’s regime, seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker has been sanctioned by the US for multiple years “due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” including Venezuela and Iran.

The Venezuelan government has strongly denounced the seizure, describing it as an “act of international piracy.”

Machado received the peace prize in October for tirelessly promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and “for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. But Venezuela’s government condemned the move, accusing her of encouraging violence and collaborating with foreign powers.

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, 34, said the prize carried profound meaning, reminding the world that democracy is “essential” to peace. She spoke of her hope that Venezuela would make an “orderly transition” to democracy.

“We will see grandmothers settle children on their laps to tell them stories not of distant forefathers, but of their own parents’ courage.”

“And more than anything, what we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey: that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom,” she said.

The ceremony was held on the same day that thousands of Venezuelans marched in Caracas to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines in 1859 and to show support for the Venezuelan government.

Maduro, who attended the rally, was asked by CNN whether he cared about the Nobel Peace Prize. He replied: “What matters to us is the life of the people, health, work, housing, the prosperity of our homeland, the new economy. One has to be concerned as president with the truth of the people, with the issues of the people, and not want to govern the world.”

Venezuelan free-to-air TV channels did not show the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Instead, several networks aligned with the government carried a statement from Maduro from Tuesday night in which he “thanked the people of Oslo for protesting” the award and for “standing with Venezuela.”

‘Ballots over bullets’

Machado has described her life’s work as promoting “ballots over bullets.” Born in the Venezuelan capital Caracas in 1967, she trained as an industrial engineer before getting involved in politics.

In 2002, she founded Súmate, a volunteer group that promotes political rights and monitors elections. She gained widespread attention in 2004 after participating in a failed effort to recall Venezuela’s then-President Hugo Chávez.

Machado was voted into the National Assembly in 2010 and was among opposition figures in 2014 calling for a wave of protests against Maduro, who became president after Chávez’s death.

In March of that year, Machado spoke at the Organization of American States to denounce the government for allegedly committing human rights violations during the protests. In response, the ruling party removed her from the National Assembly, accusing her of treason and later of plotting assassinations, which she denied.

Last year, she attempted to run against Maduro in the country’s presidential election, but her candidacy was voided by the regime. She then switched her support to the party of fellow opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia. When authorities declared Maduro the winner, Venezuela’s opposition forces cried foul, saying they had evidence to prove González had won.

Pushing back against Maduro

US President Donald Trump has launched a major pressure campaign against Maduro, amassing more than a dozen warships and thousands of troops off Venezuela’s Caribbean shores. The Pentagon says it’s part of a mission to disrupt drug trafficking from Latin America, but the Venezuelan government claims it is aimed at driving Maduro out of power.

Machado welcomed the US pressure and has tried to build on it by rallying national and international support.

Last month, she published what she described as a freedom manifesto, in which she outlined her vision of a new Venezuela without Maduro.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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