OSLO, Norway (AP) – Venezuelan opposition activist Maria Colina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Norwegian Nobel Committee President Jørgen Watne Fridnes said Venezuela’s former opposition presidential candidate was hailed as “an important figure in uniting a once deeply divided political opposition, one that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government.”
“For the past year, Ms. Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats to her life, she remained in the country, a choice that has touched millions of people. It is vitally important that we recognize the brave defenders of freedom who stand up and resist when authoritarians seize power.”
President Nicolas Maduro’s government has routinely targeted real or perceived opponents ahead of last year’s presidential election.
Machado had planned to run against Maduro, but the government disqualified her. He was replaced by Edmundo González. He had never stood for election before. The run-up to the election was marked by widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests, and human rights abuses.
of The crackdown on the opposition will only intensify. After the country’s National Electoral Council, solidified by Maduro supporters, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.
Protests erupted across the United States following the election results announced by the Election Commission, and the government responded with force, resulting in more than 20 deaths. These also prompted the termination of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various foreign countries, including Argentina.
Machado has gone into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, who moved to Spain and was granted asylum.
Last year, Machado and González were awarded the European Union’s highest human rights honor, the Sakharov Prize.
There was persistent speculation before the announcement that the award might be presented to the president of the United States. donald trumpIt was fueled in part by the president himself and further amplified by this week’s reporting. approval of his plan Toward a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Fridnes said, “I think this committee has seen all kinds of campaigns and media attention. We receive thousands of letters every year from people who want to advocate for what makes peace for them.”
“This committee sits in a room with portraits of all the laureates, a room filled with both courage and integrity. We therefore make decisions based solely on the achievements and will of Alfred Nobel.”
Last year’s award-winning works were Japan Hidankyois a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bomb survivors who have worked for decades to maintain taboos on the use of nuclear weapons.
The Peace Prize is the only annual award nobel prize The award ceremony will be held in Oslo, Norway.
Four of the other awards have already been presented this week in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. medicine on monday, physics on tuesday, chemistry Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winners of the Economics Prize will be announced on Monday.
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Associated Press Nobel Prize coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes
