Caracas/Oslo, 21 Nov 2025 (BNN Web) – Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab warned on Wednesday that opposition leader María Corina Machado will be officially declared a “fugitive from justice” if she leaves the country to collect her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on December 10.
Speaking to AFP, Saab claimed Machado – who has been forced into hiding to evade arrest – is under investigation for “conspiracy, incitement to hatred, and terrorism.” He added that she is also being probed for allegedly supporting recent U.S. military operations in the Caribbean.
The 58-year-old Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her “sustained and courageous struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” in Venezuela. The Nobel Committee described her as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.”
A Prize Born of Defiance
Machado has spent years denouncing President Nicolás Maduro’s government as a “criminal regime” and calling for its removal. Barred by the regime from running in the 2024 presidential election – widely condemned internationally as fraudulent – she rallied the opposition behind substitute candidate Edmundo González, who independent polls and voting-tally evidence showed won by a landslide. The government nevertheless declared Maduro the victor, prompting mass protests and a crackdown that forced González to flee to Spain.
Personal Risk vs. Global Honor
Nobel Committee Chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes expressed hope that Machado will be able to attend the December 10 ceremony in Oslo but acknowledged the “extremely serious” security threats she faces.
In her first reaction to the prize, a visibly moved Machado said: “I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this alone. This belongs to an entire society that refuses to surrender.”
Among those congratulating her was U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has sharply escalated pressure on Maduro, including naval operations in the Caribbean that Caracas claims have killed over 80 Venezuelans.
Escalating Tensions
In a video manifesto released Tuesday titled “Freedom Manifesto,” Machado urged Venezuela’s armed forces to abandon the Maduro government and join the people in building a new era “where our natural rights will prevail.”
The Maduro regime has responded by intensifying threats against opposition figures. Declaring Machado a fugitive if she travels to Norway would effectively strip her of any remaining legal protections inside Venezuela and could trigger an international arrest warrant through Interpol – a tactic the government has used against other exiled opponents.
World leaders and human-rights organizations have condemned the threat, calling it a blatant attempt to silence one of Latin America’s most prominent pro-democracy voices on the eve of her global recognition.
