Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuela’s María Corina Machado
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is living in hiding after trying to run against President Nicolas Maduro.
Machado, 58, was credited with keeping “the flame of democracy burning amid growing darkness” and for “ever growing authoritarianism in Venezuela.”
Despite speculation that President Donald Trump could win the award for his role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, among other things, Machado emerged as a favorite on online betting platforms hours before the decision was made.
She leads the opposition Sale Venezuela party, but was blocked from running for the country’s presidency and expelled from office in 2014. She now lives in hiding and faces “serious threats to her life”, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
“When authoritarians take power, it is crucial to recognize the courageous defenders of freedom who stand up and resist,” the committee said in a statement.
“Democracy depends on people who refuse to remain silent, who dare to move forward despite grave risks, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended – with words, with courage and with determination.”
