A press conference planned in Oslo with Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado was canceled on Tuesday amid uncertainty about her whereabouts. The Nobel Institute said it had no information on the movements of the Venezuelan opposition leader, who has been on the run for months.
Machado has not been seen in public since January 9, when she participated in a protest in Caracas against the inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro for a third term. Her appearance in Oslo was to mark her first return in 11 months, but the event was initially postponed and then canceled just hours before departure.
"The press conference has been canceled and we have no information on when or how it will come about," a spokesman for the Nobel Institute said, adding that even the possibility of rescheduling remains uncertain.
The institute said Machado herself admitted that the trip to Norway was extremely difficult, while her team did not comment. Meanwhile, her family has already arrived in Oslo for Wednesday's ceremony.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was honored in October for her “resistance to the Venezuelan authoritarian regime.” Machado, known as the “Iron Lady,” dedicated the prize to the Venezuelan people and former US President Donald Trump, a hard-line supporter of Maduro.
Venezuelans accuse her of conspiracy and terrorism, while authorities have warned that any travel outside the country would consider her a fugitive. Unofficial reports suggest she may have reached Europe with US help, initially passing through Puerto Rico.
The political crisis in Venezuela has deepened after the July 2024 elections, which Maduro refused to accept. The opposition winner, Edmundo González, subsequently fled into exile, while Machado was forced into hiding.
This year's ceremony is expected to be attended by a wide range of world leaders, including the presidents of Argentina, Panama, Ecuador and Paraguay. The Nobel Institute released a video of Machado's moment when she learned of the prize win, in which she appeared emotional and speechless.
