Maria Corina Machado Awarded 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” as announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday.

Machado, one of Venezuela’s most prominent pro-democracy advocates, has faced relentless persecution and threats under President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Over the past year, she has been forced into hiding yet continues to coordinate opposition efforts within the country.

The Nobel Committee stated, “When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize the courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on individuals who refuse to remain silent, who dare to step forward despite significant risks, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted but must always be defended—with words, courage, and determination.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is the only one of the annual Nobel awards presented in Oslo, Norway.

At 56, the former lawmaker and longstanding critic of Maduro was barred from participating in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, despite winning the opposition’s primary. Her disqualification has drawn condemnation from Western governments and human rights organizations.

The Nobel Committee emphasized that Machado’s decision to remain in Venezuela, despite the threats against her, has inspired millions of people.