OSLO, Norway (AP) — Opposition activist María Corina Machado of Venezuela won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The former opposition presidential candidate in Venezuela was praised as a “key, unifying figure in a previously fractured political opposition — a coalition united by the call for free elections and representative government,” stated Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel committee.

“Over the past year, Miss Machado has been compelled to live in seclusion. Despite facing significant threats to her life, she chose to stay in the country, a decision that has inspired millions. When authoritarians capture power, it is vital to honor brave defenders of freedom who stand up and resist.”

President Nicolás Maduro’s government routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents ahead of last year’s presidential election.

Machado was prepared to challenge Maduro, but the government barred her candidacy. Edmundo González replaced her, despite lacking prior political experience. The period leading up to the election was marked by intense repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights abuses.

The suppression of opposition intensified following the announcement by the country’s National Electoral Council, dominated by Maduro’s loyalists, declaring him the winner despite substantial evidence suggesting otherwise.

The election results announced by the Electoral Council ignited protests nationwide, met by the government with force, resulting in over 20 deaths. The aftermath also led to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Venezuela and several foreign nations, including Argentina.

Machado went into hiding and has not been seen publicly since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for González, who relocated to Spain and was granted asylum there.

Last year, Machado and González were awarded the European Union’s top human rights honor, The Sakharov Prize.

There had been persistent speculation ahead of the announcement about the possibility of the prize going to U.S. President Donald Trump, fueled in part by the president himself, amplified by this week’s approval of his plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Frydnes said: “I think this committee has seen any type of campaign, media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace.

“This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”

Last year’s award went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors who have worked for decades to maintain a taboo around the use of nuclear weapons.

The peace prize is the only one of the annual Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Four of the other prizes have already been awarded in the Swedish capital, Stockholm this week — in medicine on Monday, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winner of the prize in economics will be announced on Monday.