Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will not appear in person at Wednesday’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, with organizers confirming that her current location is unknown just hours before the event.
The announcement added fresh attention to Machado’s security situation and the restrictions she has faced under Venezuela’s government, even as she was named this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her opposition work.
Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, said Machado was not in Norway and would not take the stage at Oslo City Hall when the ceremony begins at 1 p.m. local time.
“She is unfortunately not in Norway and will not stand on stage at Oslo City Hall at 1 p.m. when the ceremony starts,” Harpviken told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Asked about her whereabouts, he said, “I don’t know.”
The Nobel ceremony will proceed as planned in the presence of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, alongside several Latin American leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milei and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.
In keeping with Nobel tradition, a close family member will accept the prize on Machado’s behalf. Harpviken said her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, will receive the award and deliver the Nobel lecture.
Machado, 58, had been expected to attend despite a decade long travel ban imposed by Venezuelan authorities. She has spent more than a year in hiding amid what allies describe as mounting pressure from President Nicolas Maduro’s government, according to Reuters.
When Machado was named the laureate in October, she dedicated the honour in part to US President Donald Trump, who has previously said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize himself.
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President Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013, has accused Trump of attempting to overthrow his government to gain access to the country’s vast oil reserves. He has said Venezuelan citizens and the armed forces would resist any such move.
Machado has aligned herself with figures close to Trump who argue that the Maduro administration has links to criminal networks that pose a threat to US national security. Some of those claims have been questioned by the US intelligence community, according to reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press.
Machado’s absence underscores the broader challenges facing Venezuela’s opposition ahead of expected political milestones in the coming year. Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about restrictions on political activity, travel and personal security for government critics.
The Nobel Institute did not immediately respond to requests for further comment beyond confirming the ceremony plans.
