Venezuela’s Machado won’t attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
By Lex Harvey, Stefano Pozzebon, CNN
(CNN) — Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado will not attend Wednesday’s award ceremony in Oslo, representatives from her political party told CNN.
Under persecution from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government, Machado has been living in hiding since last year and her current whereabouts are unknown.
“We confirm that she will not attend the Nobel ceremony, but we are optimistic about her participation in the rest of the day’s events,” her representatives said.
Machado’s daughter will accept the prize and deliver a speech on her mother’s behalf, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
A statement from organizers appeared to suggest that while Machado will not make it to the ceremony, she will be in Oslo at some point, saying the Nobel Peace Prize laureate had “done everything in her power to attend today’s ceremony” but that “her journey involved extreme danger.”
The statement added, ” Although she will not be able to attend the ceremony or today’s events, we are deeply relieved to confirm that she is safe and will be joining us in Oslo.”
Machado received the accolade for tirelessly promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and “for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in October that Machado’s attendance at the ceremony was up for debate.
“We always hope to have the laureate with us in Oslo, but this is a serious security situation which needs to be handled first,” Frydnes said.
The-CNN-Wire
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