Venezuelan Nobel peace prize winner greets crowds in Oslo after nearly a year in hiding

"The Venezuelan politician and pro-democracy activist stepped out on to the balcony of Oslo's iconic Grand Hotel at just before 2.30am local time, after spending the past 11 months in hiding in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. Dozens of supporters chanted Courageous! and Freedom! in front of the hotel and sang the Venezuelan national anthem as she appeared. Glory to the brave nation, which shook off the yoke! they cried out."

"It was Machado's first public appearance in almost a year, having been forced into hiding in Venezuela by the country's dictator, Nicolas Maduro, after he was accused of stealing the July 2024 presidential election. Minutes after appearing on the balcony outside the hotel's storied Nobel suite, the 58-year-old conservative came down on to the street and climbed over metal barricades to embrace supporters who had gathered outside the 19th-century building's glimmering facade in the early hours of Thursday."

"Hours earlier, on Wednesday, the Nobel laureate's 34-year-old daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the Nobel peace prize on her mother's behalf after she failed to arrive in Oslo in time for the ceremony. Speaking at that event, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, Jrgen Watne Frydnes, urged Maduro to step down, having lost last year's presidential election to Machado's ally, Edmundo Gonzalez."

Maria Corina Machado escaped Venezuela by boat after spending 11 months in hiding in Caracas and appeared on the balcony of Oslo's Grand Hotel shortly before 2.30am. Dozens of supporters chanted "Courageous!" and "Freedom!" and sang the Venezuelan national anthem. Machado had gone into hiding after being forced out by Nicolas Maduro following accusations that he stole the July 2024 presidential election. Her 34-year-old daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. The Norwegian Nobel committee chair urged Maduro to step down and hailed Machado's struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

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