The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony was held on Wednesday, December 10, but the recipient María Corina Machado was unable to attend in person on time. However, the Venezuelan opposition leader arrived in Oslo, Norway, late Wednesday night after a daring escape, to receive the honor she earned by challenging dictatorship.
This marked her first public appearance since January this year, as she had been in hiding for a year to evade arrest by the Maduro regime.
Machado’s journey to Oslo was like a scene out of an escape movie, filled with suspense. She began her operation on Monday, December 8, in the afternoon, disguising herself with a wig and other disguises, departing from the outskirts of Caracas to a coastal fishing village.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a source close to the operation revealed that during a tense 10-hour journey, Machado and two companions successfully evaded 10 military checkpoints, finally reaching the coast before midnight.
They then boarded a common wooden fishing boat and braved strong winds and rough sea waves to complete the dangerous crossing of the Caribbean to reach Curaçao.
In Curaçao, she met with a private contractor provided by the Trump administration. Another source indicated that the Trump administration was aware of this operation. She then flew to Oslo on a private jet.
Curaçao is an island located in the southern Caribbean, a constituent country, part of the Netherlands, with high autonomy.
Machado’s escape coincides with increased pressure from the Trump administration on the Maduro government. Sources close to the operation informed “华日” that the organization assisting Machado’s escape had specifically contacted the US military before setting off to remind them of the region, to prevent the fishing boat carrying Machado from being mistakenly identified as a drug trafficking vessel and facing an airstrike.
As Machado crossed the Caribbean, two US Navy F-18 fighter jets flew into the Venezuelan Gulf and hovered closely in the area near her route for about 40 minutes.
The Trump administration has been assembling military forces in the Caribbean, continuing to combat drug trafficking and human trafficking. The US military has carried out over 20 lethal strikes on suspected drug ships in the region in the past three months and warned of further military actions against Venezuela, including starting from “on the ground” to increase pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that the US military had intercepted and seized a previously sanctioned oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast.
At the award ceremony on Wednesday, Machado’s daughter Ana Corina Sosa received the award on her behalf. The ceremony was supported by several Latin American presidents, including the President of Argentina, Mila, and others.
In her acceptance speech, Machado dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and President Trump, thanking him for his firm support for democracy in Venezuela.
During a press conference, when asked if her journey to Oslo received assistance from US authorities, Machado said, “Yes, we did receive support from the US government.”
Machado promised to bring the Nobel Peace Prize back to Venezuela, firmly assuring domestic supporters, “I will return.”