Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has successfully escaped to Norway after a daring journey from Venezuela. This high-risk escape involved disguises, a fishing boat, and a private jet, as detailed in a report by the Wall Street Journal. Machado, aged 58, arrived in downtown Oslo in the early hours of Thursday morning, shortly after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf due to her absence from the official ceremony. The Nobel Committee recognized her for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” against President Nicolás Maduro‘s authoritarian regime.
The significance of Machado’s arrival in Norway extends beyond her personal achievement. She is a central figure in Venezuela’s fractured opposition, having led her party to a disputed victory in the 2024 presidential election, where she allegedly secured 67 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, Maduro’s government claimed victory, resulting in a severe crackdown involving arrests, raids, and intimidation tactics that forced Machado into hiding. Her escape intensifies the ongoing standoff between Maduro and the administration of Donald Trump, which has increased U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean and conducted airstrikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels.
Machado’s Nobel victory has also deepened political divides in Venezuela. Maduro has labeled her a “demonic witch” and characterized the award as foreign interference, even as international governments support her call for a democratic transition in the country.
Machado’s escape began on Monday afternoon from a suburb of Caracas, where she had been hiding for approximately one year. Disguised with a wig and accompanied by two aides, she traveled by road for about ten hours to reach a coastal fishing village, successfully passing through ten military checkpoints without being detained. Upon arrival at the coast, she and her companions boarded a small fishing skiff around 5 a.m. for a perilous crossing of the Caribbean Sea to Curaçao. They faced strong winds and rough seas, which slowed their progress significantly.
According to sources familiar with the operation, the escape network, which has previously assisted others in fleeing Venezuela, notified the U.S. military to prevent the boat from being mistaken as a target during ongoing American airstrikes in the region. Although U.S. officials denied direct coordination with the group, it is reported that the Trump administration was aware of Machado’s escape attempt. At the time of the crossing, U.S. Navy F-18 fighter jets were observed flying in close proximity to the route from Venezuela to Curaçao, according to flight-tracking data.
Machado successfully reached Curaçao around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, where she was met by a private security contractor described as specializing in extractions and reportedly supplied by the Trump administration. After resting overnight at a hotel, she boarded an executive jet arranged by an associate in Miami, which took her from Curaçao to Oslo, with a refueling stop in Bangor, Maine.
Before departing, Machado recorded a brief audio message expressing gratitude to “so many people… [who] risked their lives” to facilitate her escape. In a separate message released by the Nobel Peace Prize committee on Wednesday, she confirmed her departure from Venezuela and her journey to Norway for the award ceremonies. Despite her notable arrival, the Nobel Institute informed Norwegian media that they were unaware of her whereabouts as the ceremony commenced.
During the award event, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, remarked on the extreme danger surrounding Machado’s journey. Due to her late arrival, her daughter Ana Corina Sosa accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, assuring the audience that her mother would return to Venezuela “very soon.”
Outside the Grand Hotel in Oslo, supporters celebrated Machado’s arrival, chanting “¡Valiente!” (“brave”) and singing the Venezuelan national anthem. Machado, a former industrial engineer and National Assembly deputy, has become a prominent figure in the opposition since being ousted from parliament in 2014, barred from holding office, and forced into hiding amid threats and repression. She was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her role in leading a united opposition against Maduro and conducting a “successful electoral challenge,” despite facing disqualification from running and the exile of her preferred candidate, Edmundo González.
In her acceptance message, Machado dedicated the prize to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.” Julio Borges, a former Venezuelan lawmaker, remarked on social media that Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize symbolizes a recognition of her moral leadership, underscoring the struggle of the Venezuelan people against totalitarian rule.
