Machado appears in Oslo after escape

Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado appeared on the balcony of Oslo’s Grand Hotel, singing Venezuela’s national anthem and greeting cheering supporters after secretly leaving her country. Machado, who had been barred from travel and spent more than a year in hiding, reportedly escaped by boat to Curaçao and then flew on a private plane to Norway. Video and eyewitness accounts show crowds chanting “brave” and “freedom” as she climbed over a fence to embrace supporters behind barriers. The White House did not immediately comment on reports of her transit via Curaçao.

Machado had been prevented from running in the 2024 presidential election despite winning the opposition primary; she went into hiding in August after authorities intensified arrests of opposition figures following a disputed vote that state bodies declared for President Nicolás Maduro but which the opposition contests with published ballot-level tallies. The travel ban and political persecution have been long-standing features of Machado’s confrontation with the Maduro government.

Her Oslo appearance came after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf; Machado could not attend the ceremony itself but was represented by a large portrait displayed in the city hall and by a speech delivered by her daughter that stressed democracy’s centrality to peace. The Nobel Committee cited Machado’s decades of advocacy against authoritarianism, her defense of free elections and human rights, and her role in mobilising civil society despite repeated repression.

Scenes of celebration followed the prize announcement across Latin America and in Caracas, where supporters gathered with flags and chants. International leaders offered congratulations, framing the award as a signal of continued global attention to Venezuela’s crisis. The Maduro government responded with muted criticism, accusing foreign institutions of political interference. Analysts say the prize could increase geopolitical pressure on Caracas and raise Machado’s international profile at a sensitive moment for negotiations over sanctions relief and electoral guarantees, though it does not ensure immediate political change.

Machado released a statement dedicating the prize to “the courage of the Venezuelan people” and reaffirming her commitment to a peaceful democratic transition. Supporters view her arrival in Oslo as a symbolic boost to opposition morale and a reminder of enduring domestic hardship, including economic collapse, mass migration and political repression, that continues to fuel calls for change.