NEWS
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Emerges in Oslo
Friday, December 12, 2025
Nobel Peace Prize winner makes daring escape after 11 months hiding from Maduro regime
María Corina Machado appeared publicly in Oslo on Thursday for the first time in 11 months, hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. The 58-year-old opposition leader made a covert journey through 10 military checkpoints, wearing a disguise and escaping by boat, with assistance from US authorities. Machado had been in hiding since January 9 after being briefly detained, facing arrest threats from Venezuela's Maduro government which labeled her a terrorist. She told the BBC she knows the risks but plans to return to Venezuela, stating 'I'm going to be in the place where I'm most useful for our cause.'
Key Facts
- Hidden for 11 months since January 9 detention in Caracas
- Escaped through 10 military checkpoints with US government assistance
- Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for struggle against Venezuelan dictatorship
- Barred from running in 2024 presidential election that was widely dismissed as unfair
- Has not seen her three children in two years for their safety
- Venezuela's attorney general threatened to label her a fugitive for traveling to Norway