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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, expressed fears for her safety during her clandestine journey from Venezuela to Norway to accept the award.
“There were moments when I truly felt my life was in danger, and it was also a deeply spiritual experience because, at the end of the day, I felt I was in God’s hands and whatever was meant to happen, would happen,” she shared with reporters in Oslo.
Machado chose not to disclose specific details about her escape from Venezuela, where she has been in hiding since last year, in order to safeguard those involved — following intense reports in U.S. media about her travel.
“We did receive support from the U.S. government to aid in our exit,” Machado stated during a press conference on Thursday, when asked if Washington had assisted her.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Machado disguised herself with a wig and other disguises during her risky trip, leaving her hideout in a Caracas suburb on Monday, then traveling by fishing boat across the Caribbean to Curaçao.
The report indicated that the U.S. military was kept informed to prevent the boat from being targeted by air strikes, amid ongoing regional naval tensions and efforts to combat drug traffickers.
Later, the same outlet reported that Machado and her small crew were stranded after their GPS device was lost overboard during stormy seas, causing the backup system to fail.
Because of this, she missed her planned pickup by the extraction team, prompting a search operation in the Gulf of Venezuela.
Bryan Stern, director of a rescue organization, recounted meeting Machado at sea after her departure from Venezuela and assisting her with a nearly 14-hour journey to a secure location where she could catch a flight, just days earlier.
He described the boat trip as intense and wet, with challenging night conditions that made radar navigation difficult.
Machado’s representatives confirmed that her rescue was orchestrated by the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, which began operations on Tuesday, as reported by CBS News.
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