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, and sparked 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 that González had won by a landslide. González later fled to Spain, fearing repression. This was followed by attempts to detain other opposition officials.
The Nobel Committee 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 could attend the award ceremony in Oslo on 10 December but acknowledged her serious security situation.
Machado expressed shock at winning the prize, saying: I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this. She added that it was the achievement of a whole society. Among the leaders to congratulate her was US President Donald Trump, who has had strained relations with Maduro's government.
Attorney General Saab also mentioned that Machado is under investigation for her support of US military deployments in the Caribbean, as the Trump administration heads an operation targeting drug trafficking boats. Maduro has accused Trump of trying to incite a war for Venezuela's oil reserves, though he expressed willingness to hold talks with the US administration recently.
Meanwhile, Machado is encouraging the Venezuelan military to turn against Maduro, sharing her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela through a freedom manifesto in a recent video.
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, and sparked 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 that González had won by a landslide. González later fled to Spain, fearing repression. This was followed by attempts to detain other opposition officials.
The Nobel Committee 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 could attend the award ceremony in Oslo on 10 December but acknowledged her serious security situation.
Machado expressed shock at winning the prize, saying: I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this. She added that it was the achievement of a whole society. Among the leaders to congratulate her was US President Donald Trump, who has had strained relations with Maduro's government.
Attorney General Saab also mentioned that Machado is under investigation for her support of US military deployments in the Caribbean, as the Trump administration heads an operation targeting drug trafficking boats. Maduro has accused Trump of trying to incite a war for Venezuela's oil reserves, though he expressed willingness to hold talks with the US administration recently.
Meanwhile, Machado is encouraging the Venezuelan military to turn against Maduro, sharing her vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela through a freedom manifesto in a recent video.
