Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado arrived in Oslo on Thursday, hours after the award ceremony, defying a decade-long travel ban and months in hiding. Machado greeted supporters outside the Grand Hotel, hugging well-wishers and waving Venezuelan flags.
Supporters greet Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado outside the Grand Hotel, after her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the award on her behalf, in Oslo, Norway December 11, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
The 58-year-old engineer, who left Venezuela by boat and traveled via Curacao to Norway, expressed joy at reuniting with her children in exile after more than a year apart. “For over 16 months I haven’t been able to hug or touch anyone,” Machado told the BBC. “Suddenly in the matter of a few hours I’ve been able to see the people I love the most, and touch them and cry and pray together.”
Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, had accepted the Nobel Prize on her behalf, delivering a speech emphasizing the global importance of defending democracy and freedom. Machado’s prepared remarks underscored the resilience of Venezuelans under an increasingly authoritarian government, stating: “Freedom is a choice that must be renewed each day, measured by our willingness and our courage to defend it. A people who choose freedom contribute not only to themselves, but to humanity.”
Machado highlighted the erosion of Venezuelan democratic institutions since the late Hugo Chavez and the consolidation of power under President Nicolas Maduro. She described her country’s slide into dictatorship, emphasizing the struggle to safeguard civil liberties amid political repression.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado walks outside the Grand Hotel to greet supporters, after her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the award on her behalf, in Oslo, Norway December 11, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Despite the risks, Machado said she plans to return to Venezuela. Her Nobel Prize has drawn international attention to the Venezuelan opposition, and she dedicated part of the award to U.S. President Donald Trump, reflecting her alignment with hawks critical of Maduro’s ties to criminal networks.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Machado’s moral courage, likening her efforts to those of Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa, noting that leaders fighting for democracy often must act under impossible circumstances. A large portrait of Machado was displayed at Oslo City Hall during the ceremony, symbolizing her presence despite her delayed arrival.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado kisses her mother Corina Parisca de Machado outside the Grand Hotel, after her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the award on her behalf, in Oslo, Norway December 11, 2025. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
