The daughter of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother’s behalf Wednesday, after officials confirmed Machado would not be able to attend the ceremony.
Machado has been in hiding since Jan. 9, when she briefly appeared at a protest in Caracas and was detained. She has not been seen publicly since.
During the award ceremony, Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said Machado had made every effort to reach Oslo “despite facing extreme danger,” and assured attendees that she was safe and expected to arrive later. Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, collected the prize in her place.
In an audio message released by the Nobel Foundation, Machado said many people had risked their lives to help her travel and described the honor as recognition for all Venezuelans. She said she looked forward to reuniting with family and supporters she had not seen in two years.
Several Latin American leaders, including Argentina’s Javier Milei and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, attended the ceremony to show support for Machado, who was awarded the prize for her push for democratic change in Venezuela.
Machado won the opposition primary but was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election, which later returned President Nicolás Maduro to power amid allegations of arrests, repression and rights abuses. Her replacement candidate, Edmundo González, who has since sought asylum in Spain, was also present at the event.
Machado joins several previous Nobel Peace laureates who could not attend due to imprisonment or persecution, including Narges Mohammadi, Ales Bialiatski, Liu Xiaobo and Aung San Suu Kyi.
Venezuelan activist Gustavo Tovar-Arroyo said her absence underscored the risks faced by those resisting authoritarian governments, adding that supporters knew the dangers involved but remained committed to the struggle.