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Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will be absent from the upcoming Nobel ceremony, according to an announcement from the Nobel Institute via Norwegian state broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. Machado has been in hiding since last year’s elections in Venezuela due to threats of arrest, preventing her from attending the event in person.
In a statement, the Nobel Institute expressed that Machado has exerted all possible efforts to attend the ceremony but ultimately will not be able to arrive on time. Despite these challenges, the ceremony is set to commence at 7 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
The institute further explained that Machado is navigating a perilous journey to Oslo, yet assured her safety, confirming she will be present in the city.
Prior to the official statement, Nobel Director Kristian Berg Harpviken shared with NRK that until Tuesday evening, he remained hopeful that Machado could make it to the event. However, her current whereabouts remain undisclosed due to security concerns.
Harpviken emphasized the oppressive nature of President Nicolás Maduro’s administration, which he described as being willing to employ any means to suppress the opposition, highlighting the risks Machado faces.
Shortly before the press release, Nobel Director Kristian Berg Harpviken told NRK that he had been holding out hope until Tuesday evening that the peace prize winner would be able to attend the event.
Harpviken said he did not know where Machado was presently and “there are good reasons for that,” adding that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime was oppressive and is “willing to use absolutely all means against the opposition.”
Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, will receive the prize and deliver a speech on her mother’s behalf.
Crucial Quote
“My mother has been living in hiding for 15 months under constant death threats. I don’t know where she is today and we haven’t seen each other in almost two years,” Machado’s daughter, who now lives in New York, told NRK in an interview last week.
