The daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother’s behalf on Wednesday, as the laureate did not attend the Oslo ceremony due to security concerns, NRK news reported.
Ana Corina Sosa appeared at Oslo City Hall to receive the medal and diploma, delivering remarks that included portions of a prepared speech by Machado, who has been living in hiding in recent months.
Machado did not arrive in Norway in time for Wednesday's prize ceremony. However, she emerged from hiding to make her first public appearance in almost a year, waving to supporters from the balcony of her Oslo hotel early on Thursday.
She made it to the Norwegian capital hours later and went straight to see her family, Nobel Prize Committee Chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said.
Machado is due to give a press conference at 0915 GMT, Norway's government said.
Earlier, Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Nobel Institute, said Machado “is not in Norway now” and would not be present when the ceremony began at Oslo City Hall.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Machado departed on a boat from Venezuela, travelling to the Caribbean island nation of Curacao with US assistance.
Protests over Gaza genocide and Machado’s Israel support
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, demonstrators gathered in Sweden’s capital during the traditional Nobel banquet following the award ceremony to protest against Israel and the United States. They also expressed opposition to Machado — a known supporter of Israel — receiving the award.
Protesters assembled outside Stockholm City Hall, where King Carl XVI Gustaf hosted the banquet, to denounce Israel’s over two-year genocide in Gaza and US preparations for military action against Venezuela.
They chanted slogans such as “Stop the genocide in Gaza” and “Hands off Venezuela.”
Claiming the Nobel Prizes are funded by the US, protesters criticised Washington and the European Union for supporting Israel.
Carrying Palestinian flags, the group also objected to the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the Venezuelan opposition figure.
In a statement, the group described Machado as a woman who dedicated her prize to US President Donald Trump, welcomed American military intervention preparations in Venezuela, and was congratulated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
