Maria Corina Machado (58), the Venezuelan opposition leader who won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, arrived in Oslo, Norway, on the 11th local time.
According to the Associated Press and others, Machado arrived in Oslo the previous night and appeared before the public at a hotel early that morning. It was her first public appearance in 11 months since an anti-government protest in Caracas in Jan.
Wearing jeans and a padded jumper, Machado waved to supporters from a balcony, then came outside the hotel to shake hands and share hugs with supporters. Machado said, "I hope you all return to Venezuela," and supporters chanted, "Freedom! Freedom!"
Machado emerged as a strong challenger to incumbent President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela's presidential election held on July 28 last year, but she could not run after the government stripped her of her right to stand for election. After Maduro's Jan. inauguration to a third term, she went into hiding at an undisclosed location to avoid the threat of detention by authorities and has mostly been active online.
She was selected as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on Oct. 10 for her contributions to Venezuela's democratization, but she could not attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall at midday on the 10th. Instead, Machado's daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother's behalf.
In remarks accepting the award that her daughter read on her behalf, Machado said, "This award reminds the world that democracy is a prerequisite for peace," adding, "The most important lesson the people of Venezuela can offer the world is that if you want democracy, you must be ready to fight for freedom."
She has been under a travel ban since 2014, and the Maduro government has warned that if Machado leaves the country, it will block her return. Nevertheless, Machado secretly pushed ahead with a trip to Norway to avoid such threats. She is known to have headed to Oslo under U.S. cover.
In a call with the Nobel Committee released just before the ceremony, Machado said she could not arrive in time for the ceremony, but that many people had "risked their lives" to get her to Oslo. She is scheduled to hold a news conference in Oslo on the morning of the day, local time.
It remains uncertain whether Machado will be able to return safely to Venezuela from Norway. But Machado said, "Of course I will return (to Venezuela). I know exactly what risks I am taking," adding, "I will be where I am most needed for the cause."