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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was absent from the ceremony on Wednesday norway In which she was to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize award, but it was confirmed that she was traveling Europe Mixed feelings arose in her country, where many people supported her because she had not left her homeland.
Machado’s daughter accepted the award on his behalf in a ceremony that became a rally for democracy, and, at the same time, an indictment of the Venezuelan government, in which attendees heard in detail about human rights abuses committed against real or perceived opponents of President Nicolás Maduro.
Ana Corina Sosa told the audience, “She wants to live in a free Venezuela and she will never give up this objective.” oslo Before reading your mother’s prepared comments. “That’s why we all know, and I know too, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon.”
Neither Machado nor her staff explained when or how she left Venezuela for Oslo, Norway, or what obstacles prevented her from attending the ceremony.
In an audio recording of a phone call published on the Nobel website ahead of the event, Machado said she would not be able to arrive in time for the ceremony but should remain in Oslo. She said she was “very grateful” for so many people “risking their lives” to travel to the Norwegian capital.
Machado has not been seen in public since January 9, when he was briefly detained after joining supporters in an anti-government protest. CaracasCapital of Venezuela. The following day, Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he had lost the presidential election.
Machado had intended to challenge Maduro in last year’s contest, but the government barred him from running for office, forcing him to endorse retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez in his place. Before and after the election, many voters said they supported Machado – and by extension González – because she did not go into exile while the country was being destroyed.
On Wednesday, some Venezuelans understood his decision to depart, while others questioned why he was awarded the Nobel.
“They say he left the country, if that’s true, it’s good for him,” said Josefina Páez, an office worker in Caracas. “That woman has made many sacrifices to fight for democracy, and now the time has come for her to reunite with her family, her children, and continue fighting from abroad.”
Meanwhile, shopkeeper Jose Hurtado called Machado a “traitor” for supporting US President Donald Trump’s policy toward Venezuela.
“Those awards are very infamous,” he said.
The ceremony came as Trump continues a military campaign in the Caribbean that has killed Venezuelans in international waters and threatened attacks on Venezuela.
Gonzalez, 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 hundreds of people described by human rights organizations as being jailed for political reasons.
Independent experts supported by the United Nations, Venezuelan NGOs, and other groups have documented widespread brutal government repression during Maduro’s presidency. Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Friednes told attendees about repeated incidents of torture, including the experiences of children detained following the 2024 presidential election.
“The UN has recorded their experience as follows: plastic bags pulled tightly over their heads, electric shocks over their genitals, blows to the body so brutal that it caused great injury, sexual violence, cells so cold as to cause intense shivering, dirty drinking water full of maggots, screams that no one came to stop,” he said.
Watene Friedness then called on Maduro to “accept the election results and step down”.
It is unclear when or how Machado and Gonzalez might return to Venezuela. Opposition plans to recall Gonzalez before the January 10 ceremony, which would have given Maduro another term, did not succeed.
“People are anxiously waiting for news of what will happen, how things will be affected if Maria Corina gets the award or not,” said Jose Murillo, a Caracas teacher.
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Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda and video journalist Juan Pablo Arraez contributed to this report.