Threats Prevent Nobel Laureate Machado from Attending Oslo Ceremony

(MENAFN) Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado will be unable to participate in the Oslo award event due to intense security risks and strict travel limitations enforced by Venezuela’s authorities, the Nobel Institute stated on Wednesday.

Kristian Berg Harpviken, the institute’s director, informed a Norwegian broadcaster that Machado “is not in Norway now” and will be absent when the ceremony opens at Oslo City Hall. Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, is set to accept the honor in her stead.

Machado, a well-known opposition leader and principal contender against President Nicolas Maduro, has been residing in concealment since last fall.

Harpviken explained that the Maduro government has prohibited her from departing Venezuela and continues to represent an immediate danger to her well-being.

“She simply lives with a death threat from the regime. That threat also applies when she is outside the country,” Harpviken remarked, noting that attempts to organize secure travel to Norway turned out to be “more demanding than expected.”

Only a limited group of individuals is aware of her whereabouts because of the significant peril involved.

Machado is being recognized for what the Nobel Committee described as her “tireless work to secure democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her dedication to achieving a nonviolent shift away from authoritarian governance.

According to independent analysts, her alliance prevailed in last year’s presidential contest, although the Maduro administration refused to acknowledge the outcome.

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