Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, but she could’nt attend the ceremony in Norway because she has been in hiding.
Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award on her behalf and read a speech written by Machado. In the message, Machado said Venezuela shows the world that “we must be willing to fight for freedom.”
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Machado has not appeared in public since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters at a protest in Caracas.
Machado’s daughter accepts Nobel Peace Prize
The chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, told the audience that “María Corina Machado has done everything in her power to be able to attend the ceremony here today — a journey in a situation of extreme danger.”
He added that the committee was relieved to confirm she was safe, saying, “Although she will not be able to reach this ceremony and today’s events, we are profoundly happy to confirm that she is safe, and that she will be with us here in Oslo,” drawing applause.
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During the ceremony, Sosa said her mother remains committed to her country’s future.
“She wants to live in a free Venezuela, and she will never give up on that purpose,” she said. “That is why we all know, and I know, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon.”
In an audio recording shared by the Nobel website, Machado said many people had “risked their lives” to help her travel to Oslo. She thanked them and called the prize a recognition for “all Venezuelans.”
She added that once she arrives, she hopes to finally reunite with her family after two years apart and embrace “so many Venezuelans, Norwegians that I know that share our struggle and our fight.”
