Venezuelan opposition leader misses Nobel Peace Prize ceremony as ‘lives risked’ to get her to Oslo | World News

The daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf, hours after officials said her mother would miss the ceremony.

Ms Machado has been in hiding to protect her safety, and has not been seen publicly since 9 January, when she was briefly detained during a protest in Venezuela’s capital.

While the opposition leader won’t be able to attend the ceremony in Oslo, she has indicated that she will be arriving in the city shortly.

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

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”.

He added: “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.”

Prominent Latin American figures have 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.

Ms Machado said it was “a prize for all Venezuelans”.

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

She was described as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness”.

Who is Ms Machado?

Ms Machado won an opposition primary election, and wanted 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 election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations.

That increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with people loyal to the president, declared Mr Maduro the winner.

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Who is Maria Corina Machado?
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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.

The awarding of the prize to Ms Machado comes amid speculation that the US could be preparing to launch strikes against Maduro in Venezuela, or even potentially invade the country.

The last few months has seen a steady build up of American naval and air power in the Caribbean.

In November, the USS Gerald R Ford – the US’s largest aircraft carrier – and other warships arrived in the area with a new influx of troops and weaponry.

At the same time, the US has been conducting air strikes against what it is claiming are drug boats.

The legality of such strikes has been questioned, and led to claims that the UK had halted intelligence sharing with the US that could be used to target such vessels.