Machado press conference scrapped as Nobel ceremony nears, whereabouts still unknown

A planned news conference with Venezuelan opposition leader and newly awarded Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado was cancelled Tuesday in Oslo, after the Nobel Institute said it could not confirm whether she would attend Wednesday’s ceremony in person. Machado, who remains under a travel ban and has been in hiding since last year, has not appeared publicly since a January protest in Caracas.

The briefing, originally set for 1pm local time, was first delayed, then quietly dropped.

“Maria Corina Machado has herself stated in interviews how challenging the journey to Oslo, Norway, will be,” the Nobel Institute told AP. “We therefore cannot at this point provide any further information about when and how she will arrive for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.”

The committee awarded Machado the prize for her role opposing President Nicolas Maduro’s government, which she and many international observers accuse of blocking her from contesting the 2024 election she was favored to win. She dedicated the award to US President Donald Trump, drawing criticism from detractors who object to her alignment with Washington.

While her mother, children and sisters have already arrived in Oslo, none have disclosed her location. Venezuelan officials insist Machado could be arrested if she leaves the country. Attorney General Tarek William Saab warned she is “considered a fugitive” and faces accusations including conspiracy and terrorism. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said he does not know whether she will travel.

The Nobel ceremony on Wednesday will be attended by Norway’s King Harald and Queen Sonja, alongside regional heads of state including Argentina’s Javier Milei and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa.

It unfolds against a backdrop of rising US military activity in the Caribbean and recent deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats, operations Machado has publicly defended. Maduro, meanwhile, argues the real goal is regime change and control of Venezuela’s oil reserves.