Oslo, 11 December (HS): Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared in public for the first time in 11 months early Thursday, waving to supporters from a hotel balcony in Norway’s capital hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Machado and her supporters sang Venezuela’s national anthem before she left the hotel to greet them. The crowd cheered and chanted “Freedom!” and “Thank you!” as she shook hands and hugged well-wishers. Some chanted “President! President!” while taking photos of her.

Machado, dressed in jeans and a puffer jacket, spent several minutes outside the hotel with family members and close aides. “I want you all back in Venezuela,” she told the crowd. She had been in hiding since 9 January, when she was briefly detained after joining a protest in Caracas. She was expected to attend Wednesday’s Nobel ceremony in Oslo, where heads of state and her family waited for her arrival.

In an audio message published by the Nobel website, Machado said she could not reach Oslo in time but noted that many people had “risked their lives” to help her travel. Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the prize on her behalf. “She wants to live in a free Venezuela, and she will never give up on that purpose,” Sosa said. “That is why we know she will be back in Venezuela very soon.”

At the ceremony, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said Machado had “done everything in her power” to try to attend despite “extreme danger.” He confirmed she was safe and would be present in Oslo later in the day, prompting applause.

In her recorded message, Machado said she was boarding a plane and that the award belonged to all Venezuelans. She said she looked forward to reuniting with her children and supporters, adding that Norwegians and others had long supported Venezuela’s struggle.

Several Latin American leaders attended the ceremony in a show of solidarity, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. Machado, 58, was awarded the prize on 10 October for her efforts to push for a democratic transition in Venezuela. Frydnes described Venezuela as a “brutal authoritarian state” and called Machado “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in recent Latin American history.”

Machado won the opposition primary and planned to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s election, but the government barred her from running. Retired diplomat Edmundo González contested the election in her place. The July 2024 vote was accompanied by repression, disqualifications and arrests. After the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, González sought asylum in Spain following the issue of an arrest warrant. He attended Wednesday’s ceremony.

UN human rights officials and several rights groups have raised concerns about the political situation in Venezuela and urged accountability for the crackdown.

In her Nobel lecture, read by Sosa, Machado said Venezuelans had learned that “to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom.” The lecture did not mention ongoing tensions between Washington and Caracas as US President Donald Trump continues a military operation in the Caribbean. Machado has supported the US approach to Venezuela. Sosa also referred to “leaders around the world who joined us and defended our cause,” without naming them.

At the ceremony, Frydnes addressed authoritarian leaders, saying their power was not permanent. “Mr. Maduro, accept the election result and step down,” he said.

Five previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates have been imprisoned or detained at the time of the award, including Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi in 2023 and Belarusian rights advocate Ales Bialiatski in 2022. Others include Liu Xiaobo of China in 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar in 1991 and Carl von Ossietzky of Germany in 1935.

Gustavo Tovar-Arroyo, a Venezuelan rights activist exiled since 2012, said Machado’s supporters did everything possible to ensure her presence. He said they were disappointed she could not attend but added that such setbacks are common in struggles against authoritarian regimes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar