CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� Venezuelan opposition leader Mar铆a Corina Machado didn’t arrive in Norway early enough to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in person, but her trip elicited mixed feelings in her country, where many backed her precisely because she had not left her homeland.
Machado鈥檚 daughter accepted the award on her behalf in a ceremony Wednesday that became a rally for democracy, and equally, an indictment of Venezuela鈥檚 government, with carried out against real or perceived opponents of .
鈥淪he wants to live in a free Venezuela, and she will never give up on that purpose,鈥� Ana Corina Sosa told the audience in Oslo before reading her mother鈥檚 prepared remarks. 鈥淭hat is why we all know, and I know, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon.鈥�
Machado greeted supporters from an Oslo hotel balcony early Thursday after arriving in the Norwegian capital.
Machado had not been seen in public since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in an anti-government protest in Caracas, Venezuela鈥檚 capital. The following day, Maduro was sworn in to a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential election.
Machado intended to challenge , but the government barred her from running for office, forcing her to endorse retired diplomat Edmundo Gonz谩lez in her place. Before and after the election, many voters said they backed Machado 鈥� and by extension Gonz谩lez 鈥� because she had not gone into exile while the country came undone.
On Wednesday, some Venezuelans understood her decision to depart while others questioned why she was awarded the Nobel.
鈥淭hey say she left the country, if that鈥檚 true, good for her,鈥� office worker Josefina P谩ez said in Caracas. 鈥淭hat woman has made many sacrifices to fight for democracy, and it鈥檚 time she reunites with her family, with her children, and continues fighting from abroad.鈥�
Meanwhile, shopkeeper Jos茅 Hurtado called Machado a 鈥渢raitor鈥� for her support of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy toward Venezuela.
鈥淭hose awards are very discredited,鈥� he said.
The ceremony took place as that has killed Venezuelans in international waters and threatens to strike Venezuela.
Gonz谩lez, who attended the ceremony in Oslo, sought asylum in Spain last year after a Venezuelan court issued a warrant for his arrest. His son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, is among the hundreds of people who are in prison for what human rights organizations have determined to be political reasons.
Independent experts backed by the United Nations, Venezuelan nongovernmental organizations and other throughout Maduro’s presidency. J酶rgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, told attendees about repeated instances of torture, including the experiences of children who were detained in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election.
鈥淭he United Nations documented their experience as follows: Plastic bags pulled tight over their heads, electric shocks to the genitals, blows to the body so brutal it hurt the great, sexualized violence, cells so cold as to cause intense shivering, foul drinking water teeming with insects, screams that no one came to stop,鈥� he said.
Watne Frydnes then called on Maduro to 鈥渁ccept the election result and step down.鈥�
Flight tracking data show that the plane Machado arrived on flew to Oslo from Bangor, Maine. A crowd waiting outside her hotel chanted 鈥淔reedom! Freedom!鈥� and 鈥淭hank you! Thank you!鈥� after seeing her, and together, they sang Venezuela鈥檚 national anthem.
It is unclear when and how Machado and Gonz谩lez could return to Venezuela. An opposition plan to get Gonz谩lez back ahead of the Jan. 10 ceremony that gave Maduro another term did not materialize.
鈥淧eople are anxiously awaiting news about what will happen, about how Maria Corina receiving or not receiving the award will affect things,鈥� Caracas teacher Jos茅 Murillo said.
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Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda and video journalist Juan Pablo Arraez contributed to this report.
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