00:00Venezuelan opposition leader and newly announced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Carina Machado
00:16has made a dramatic escape from Venezuela, traveling in disguise, crossing the Caribbean
00:22in a small fishing boat, and arriving in Oslo just hours after her daughter accepted the award on
00:27her behalf. Her sudden appearance in Norway stunned observers, who believed she was still
00:33hiding inside Venezuela. According to reports, Machado left her safe house in Caracas late
00:40Monday night. Wearing a wig and a full disguise, she began a 10-hour journey through at least 10
00:47military checkpoints, a route planned in secrecy for weeks. Her team reportedly rehearsed multiple
00:53fallback routes in case security forces intercepted her convoy. Machado, a fierce critic of President
01:01Nicolas Maduro, has been barred from public office and went into hiding after the disputed
01:072024 election. Her supporters say leaving the country carried enormous personal risk, including
01:14possible arrest before reaching the border. Human rights groups say she has long been targeted
01:19by state surveillance and political intimidation. By midnight, the opposition leader had reached
01:26the Venezuelan coast, where she rested briefly in a small fishing village as her team prepared
01:31the next phase of her escape. Residents reportedly helped keep her presence quiet, fearing that
01:37the military could be searching nearby. At dawn, Machado boarded a traditional wooden skiff with
01:45two companions. Their 35-mile journey across the Caribbean to Curaçao took hours longer than
01:51expected, with strong winds and choppy seas delaying the crossing and raising fears they could be
01:57intercepted. Those involved say the crossing was the riskiest part of the entire operation.
02:05Around the same time, US military aircraft were spotted in the region. Washington said it was a
02:11routine training flight, but a source quoted in US media said Machado's escape team notified
02:17American officials to prevent any misunderstanding with the small vessel. The episode highlighted how
02:22sensitive the airspace and waters have become around Venezuela. Machado reached Curaçao safely on
02:30Tuesday afternoon. She stayed overnight at a hotel while allies arranged a private jet, reportedly sent from
02:37Miami. That would take her on the final leg to Europe. Local authorities did not comment on her presence,
02:43maintaining tight discretion.
02:47Her daughter, Anna Karina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. She told the audience she had not
02:55seen her mother in more than two years, reading a voice message Machado recorded earlier in the journey,
03:00apologizing for missing the ceremony and thanking those who secured her escape. The emotional moment
03:06underscored the family's long separation under Venezuela's political crisis.
03:12I am here on behalf of my mother, Maria Corina Machado, who has united millions of Venezuelans in an
03:20extraordinary effort that you, our hosts, have honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. And as I wait that
03:29moment to hug her, to kiss her, to embrace her after two years, I think of the other daughters and sons who
03:39do not get to see their mothers today. Machado's plane touched down in Oslo just after midnight.
03:48Instead of appearing immediately, she went to meet her family, but later surprised waiting supporters by
03:54emerging from the Grand Hotel, waving and singing Venezuela's national anthem. Crowds described her
04:00arrival as a symbolic victory over political repression. In scenes captured outside the hotel,
04:08Machado leaned over metal barriers to embrace supporters, many of whom had waited for hours to
04:13greet her. It was her first public appearance since going into hiding more than a year ago. Some in the
04:20crowd described it as a historic moment for Venezuelans living abroad. Back in Caracas,
04:27the Maduro government issued a strongly worded statement accusing Washington of political theater
04:33connected to the Nobel ceremony. The remarks followed a US operation involving a Venezuelan oil tanker,
04:40which officials said was an attempt to distract attention. State media accused Machado of seeking
04:46asylum abroad, a claim her allies deny. Machado has vowed to return to Venezuela, but legal experts
04:56warn she faces the threat of arrest if she goes back. For now, her dramatic escape and surprise
05:02appearance in Oslo have reshaped her international profile and reignited global attention on the
05:08country's political crisis. Norwegian officials have not commented on her next steps, but supporters
05:13believe she will continue campaigning from abroad.
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