Opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado held her first press conference on Thursday after receiving the award in Oslo and assured that she will be back in Venezuela"very soon," as will the millions of exiles who dream of returning to their country.
“My duty was to come here to collect this award and bring it back to the Venezuelan people. I will be back in Venezuela soon, and I know that very soon you will be too,” he stated at the beginning of his declaration.
Machado used her speech to send a direct message to the victims of repression and to the families of those who remain detained for political reasons.
“We are doing this for all the political prisoners in Venezuela,” he said. He recalled that there are mothers who haven't seen their children for more than a decade because they had to flee the country, and stressed that no nation should normalize the pain imposed by a dictatorship.
The national leader also made a personal revelation when speaking about her clandestine departure from the country:
“On my journey to freedom, the strength that sustained me was remembering my kidnapped friends. Because all of this is for them. Yesterday, when I was finally able to hug my children, I thought of Flor, María Oropeza's mother, and of so many mothers who haven't been able to see their children for years.”
When asked about a possible foreign military intervention, Machado reiterated that Venezuelan society has done everything possible to ensure a peaceful transition.
“The one who has waged war is the regime of Nicolás Maduro,” he stated.
He denounced that the Maduro regime is sustained by alliances with Cuba, Russia and terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and warned that the regime uses oil resources to persecute citizens.
“Just as the regime relies on other regimes around the world, democracies must support Venezuelans,” he added.
Machado asserted that, following the departure of Chavismo, all Venezuelan institutions must be fundamentally reformed, from the justice system to the economy, and guaranteed openness to international investment to rebuild the country.
“There is an entire generation that has not known democracy or lived in freedom, but is prepared to give their lives to liberate Venezuela,” he affirmed.
Although he did not specify a date, Machado stated that his return will be"an effort that will be worth it."
“Nothing will distract me from my duty to the Venezuelan people,” he said.
“This award is for all 30 million Venezuelans,” concluded Machado, who reiterated that she will dedicate every day to fighting for those who are in prison, in exile, or resisting within the country.
