Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado‘s daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother’s behalf, after she was unable to reach Oslo in time for the ceremony.
At the eleventh hour, the Nobel committee said Machado was “safe” and on her way to Oslo but could not confirm when she would arrive.
It followed a chaotic 24 hours, that saw a press conference the day before the ceremony cancelled without explanation and then conflicting reports Wednesday about whether Machado would be at the prestigious event in person. Instead, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado collected the gold medal and diploma, and received a standing ovation.
Kristian Berg Harpviken, the head of the Nobel Institute, said that security threats meant that Machado’s life would be in danger on her journey to Oslo.
“She simply lives with a death threat from the regime. It extends beyond Venezuela’s borders, from the regime and the regime’s friends around the world,” Harpviken told Norway’s national broadcaster, NRK.
Reports of her absence sparked concern, and the Institute later confirmed Machado was safe in a statement released ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday.
“Although she will not be able to reach the ceremony and today’s events, we are profoundly happy to confirm that she is safe and that she will be with us in Oslo,” it said.
“We attain freedom only when we refuse to turn our backs on ourselves; when we confront the truth directly, no matter how painful; when love for what truly matters in life gives us the strength to persevere and to prevail,” her daughter read of a speech written by Machado for the Nobel lecture.
“Venezuela will breathe again. We will open prison doors and watch thousands who were unjustly detained step into the warm sun, embraced at last by those who never stopped fighting for them.
“We will see grandmothers settle children on their laps to tell them stories not of distant forefathers, but of their own parents’ courage.”
She accused the Venezuelan government of “state terrorism deployed to bury the will of the people”.
The 58-year-old politician and former engineer has been in hiding since a contentious election that saw socialist leader and president Nicolas Maduro declared the winner. Machado was banned from public office shortly after the win.
Venezuela’s attorney general had warned that the leader would be considered a “fugitive” if she were to travel to Oslo to collect the prize.
“María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway will be,” the Institute explained.
The award comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions between Venezuela and the US with President Donald Trump reportedly issuing Maduro with an ultimatum to step down immediately in exchange for safe passage out of the country.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking from his country, which he denies. The Venezuelan leader has in turn accused the US president of trying to oust him by piling on pressure with a show of force on his border. Military attacks on boats have been criticised as “extrajudicial killings” by some legal experts.
Machado had previously dedicated her Nobel win to Trump, who was reportedly also in the running for the Prize. She thanked him for his “decisive support” in her country’s struggle for democracy.
The politician was celebrated as someone “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness” by the Nobel Committee in an explanation of its choice.
Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, added: “In the past year, Miss Machado has been forced to live in hiding.
“Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”
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