Oslo/Caracas, Oct 10, KNT: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for what the Norwegian Nobel Committee described as her “unwavering commitment to democracy, human rights, and non-violent struggle against authoritarianism in Venezuela.”
Machado, a 57-year-old industrial engineer and former member of Venezuela’s National Assembly, has long been one of the most vocal critics of President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Her selection for the world’s most prestigious peace honor comes at a time when Venezuela continues to grapple with political repression, economic crisis, and international isolation.
In its citation, the Nobel Committee praised Machado’s “courageous leadership in the face of intimidation and persecution,” noting that she “represents the democratic aspirations of millions of Venezuelans striving for peaceful political change.”
Machado, who leads the opposition party Vente Venezuela, was barred by the Venezuelan government from contesting elections in 2023 and 2024, and has faced repeated threats and legal challenges. In August 2024, she wrote in The Wall Street Journal that she had gone into hiding “fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen.”
📢 8,000+ readers already joined for instant Kashmir News Trust updates
Reacting to the announcement, Machado said the award “belongs to all Venezuelans who have not lost faith in freedom and democracy.” She added, “This recognition is a message to every citizen resisting tyranny through peaceful means — we are not alone.”
World leaders and human rights organizations hailed the decision, calling it a “powerful acknowledgment” of the Venezuelan people’s struggle for democracy. Several Latin American opposition groups said the award would “revive international attention on Venezuela’s deteriorating human rights situation.”
Machado has been a central figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement for over two decades, beginning her activism in 2002 when she co-founded Súmate, a civic organization that monitored elections and promoted voter participation.
The Nobel Committee’s decision is seen as both symbolic and strategic, underscoring global concern over the erosion of democratic values in Latin America and beyond. [KNT]
