A planned press conference by Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, was called off on Tuesday. The award committee stated they are completely in the dark regarding her current location.
Machado, the leader of Venezuela's opposition, has been in hiding since the country's contested 2024 election. She and her supporters assert the vote was stolen.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to establish democracy to Venezuela and was anticipated to formally collect the award at a formal event on Wednesday.
Despite regularly posting video updates on social media, typically in front of a plain white wall, her precise location remains a mystery.
"María Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway is likely to be," organizers said in a statement. "We therefore cannot at this point provide any additional information about the timing or manner in which she will come for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony."
The institute had earlier confirmed she would attend the ceremony physically. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman had commented that "all indications are" the press conference would proceed despite a delay.
Venezuela's government have declared that if Machado left Venezuela, she would be considered a "person fleeing justice" by the authorities. Her family members are reportedly in Oslo.
Last month, Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, informed a news agency that "Because she is outside Venezuela and facing numerous criminal cases, she is considered a fugitive." He stated she is accused of "alleged conspiracy, incitement of hatred, as well as terrorism."
Machado had earlier told her supporters that she planned to go back to Venezuela after collecting the prize.
If she attends the ceremony, it would mark her first public appearance since January 2025. Her last appearance before cameras was at a protest in Caracas on 9 January, opposing the swearing-in of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Following Venezuela's 2024 election, the opposition groups published vote counts indicating they had been victorious, despite Maduro declaring himself the winner. Several nations, including the United States, have acknowledged its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the duly elected president. Ms. Machado was banned from running in that election.
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