Venezuela's opposition leader will be considered a 'fugitive' if she travels to Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize, the nation's attorney general has said.
Tarik William Saab told news agency AFP that María Corina Machado, who has been living in hiding to avoid arrest, was accused of 'acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism'. The 58-year-old was named as the prestigious prize's recipient in October, being praised for her efforts towards a 'peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy'.
She has long denounced President Nicolás Maduro's government as 'criminal' and called on Venezuelans to unite to depose it. Many nations view his rule as illegitimate.
Machado, who has long been one of the most respected voices in Venezuela's opposition, was barred from running in last year's presidential elections, in which Maduro won a third six-year term in office. The elections were widely dismissed on the international stage as neither free nor fair, sparking protests across the country. Despite her barring, Machado was able to unite Venezuela's opposition behind her little-known surrogate on the ballot, Edmundo González.
The government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, even though tallies from polling stations showed González had won by a landslide. González later fled to Spain, fearing repression, followed by attempts to detain other opposition officials.
The Nobel Committee, when announcing the recipient of the prize at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, hailed Machado as 'one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times'. Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes expressed hope that Machado would be able to attend the award ceremony on December 10, but recognized the serious security situation she faces.
Machado expressed shock at winning the prize, stating: 'I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this.' She emphasized that it was the 'achievement of a whole society'. Among the leaders to congratulate her was US President Donald Trump, who has also faced tensions with Maduro's government. Meanwhile, Machado has encouraged the Venezuelan military to switch sides and outlined her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela in a video, stating, 'We stand at the edge of a new era - one where our natural rights will prevail.'
Tarik William Saab told news agency AFP that María Corina Machado, who has been living in hiding to avoid arrest, was accused of 'acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism'. The 58-year-old was named as the prestigious prize's recipient in October, being praised for her efforts towards a 'peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy'.
She has long denounced President Nicolás Maduro's government as 'criminal' and called on Venezuelans to unite to depose it. Many nations view his rule as illegitimate.
Machado, who has long been one of the most respected voices in Venezuela's opposition, was barred from running in last year's presidential elections, in which Maduro won a third six-year term in office. The elections were widely dismissed on the international stage as neither free nor fair, sparking protests across the country. Despite her barring, Machado was able to unite Venezuela's opposition behind her little-known surrogate on the ballot, Edmundo González.
The government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, even though tallies from polling stations showed González had won by a landslide. González later fled to Spain, fearing repression, followed by attempts to detain other opposition officials.
The Nobel Committee, when announcing the recipient of the prize at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, hailed Machado as 'one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times'. Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes expressed hope that Machado would be able to attend the award ceremony on December 10, but recognized the serious security situation she faces.
Machado expressed shock at winning the prize, stating: 'I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this.' She emphasized that it was the 'achievement of a whole society'. Among the leaders to congratulate her was US President Donald Trump, who has also faced tensions with Maduro's government. Meanwhile, Machado has encouraged the Venezuelan military to switch sides and outlined her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela in a video, stating, 'We stand at the edge of a new era - one where our natural rights will prevail.'
