Daughter accepts Nobel Peace Prize in Venezuelan opposition leader’s absence

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s daughter has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother’s behalf, saying in a speech written by Ms Machado that her country shows the world “we must be willing to fight for freedom”.

Ms Machado has been in hiding and has not been seen in public since January 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters at a protest in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel committee, told the award ceremony that “Maria Corina Machado has done everything in her power to be able to attend the ceremony here today – a journey in a situation of extreme danger”.

“Although she will not be able to reach this ceremony and today’s events, we are profoundly happy to confirm that she is safe, and that she will be with us here in Oslo,” he said to applause.

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the prize in her place.

“She wants to live in a free Venezuela, and she will never give up on that purpose,” she said. “That is why we all know, and I know, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon.”

Ms Machado said in an audio recording of a phone call published on the Nobel website that many people had “risked their lives” for her to arrive in Oslo.

“I am very grateful to them, and this is a measure of what this recognition means to the Venezuelan people,” she said before indicating she was about to board a plane.

Ms Machado said that “since this is a prize for all Venezuelans, I believe that it will be received by them. And as soon as I arrive, I will be able to embrace all my family and my children that I’ve have not seen for two years and so many Venezuelans, Norwegians that I know that share our struggle and our fight”.

Prominent Latin American figures attended the event in a signal of solidarity with Ms Machado, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena.

The 58-year-old’s win for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in her South American nation was announced on October 10.

Mr Watne Frydnes said that “Venezuela has evolved into a brutal authoritarian state”, and he described Ms Machado as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in recent Latin American history”.

Ms Machado won an opposition primary election and intended to challenge President Nicolas Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government barred her from running for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez took her place.

The lead-up to the election on July 28 2024 saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. That increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared the incumbent the winner.

Mr Gonzalez, who sought asylum in Spain last year after a Venezuelan court issued a warrant for his arrest, attended Wednesday’s ceremony, which was overlooked by a large portrait of Ms Machado.

UN human rights officials and many independent rights groups have expressed concerns about the situation in Venezuela, and called for Mr Maduro to be held accountable for the crackdown on dissent.

“More than anything, what we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey – that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom,” Ms Sosa said as she delivered the lecture written for the occasion by her mother.

The speech did not refer to the current tensions between Washington and Caracas, as US President Donald Trump continues a military operation in the Caribbean that has killed Venezuelans in international waters and threatens to strike Venezuela. Ms Machado has consistently endorsed Mr Trump’s strategy towards Venezuela.

Among many “heroes of this journey” honoured in the lecture, Ms Sosa mentioned “the leaders around the world who joined us and defended our cause”, but did not elaborate.

Mr Watne Frydnes said of authoritarian leaders such as Mr Maduro that “your power is not permanent. Your violence will not prevail over people who rise and resist”.

“Mr Maduro, accept the election result and step down,” he added.