On December 10, 2025, right-wing Venezuelan political figure María Corina Machado was inaugurated as a Nobel Peace laureate. As her daughter delivered the acceptance speech in her place before European royalty and diplomats, the ceremony invoked themes of solidarity, cooperation, and peace. Outside the venue, however, peace and solidarity organizations continued to denounce the nomination, arguing that Machado’s record – including her endorsement of US military threats against President Nicolás Maduro’s government and her support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza – makes the nomination indefensible.
“When the prize is given to a politician who supports military interference and actions contrary to international law, it breaks with the very purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize,” stated Gro Standnes of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom ahead of the ceremony.
Read more: When María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize, “peace” has lost its meaning
Demonstrations began on December 9, the eve of the International Day of Solidarity with Venezuela marked by networks across the world. Tuesday’s mobilization brought a large section of the Norwegian peace movement to Oslo, according to Lina Álvarez Reyes, Information Advisor at the Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America. “This is the first time in many years that so many Norwegian organizations have united in a direct protest against a decision by the Nobel Committee,” she told Peoples Dispatch.
“When we protested, it was to support international law and to oppose any military intervention. We argue that this year’s prize contradicts the purpose of Nobel’s will and is being used to legitimize US military intervention in violation of international law in Latin America,” she added.
Threats by the Trump administration to Latin America and the Caribbean have caused alarm among progressive groups worldwide. Yet these concerns appear to have little impact on Western political elites, who continue to support the path taken by the US. This disconnect was clearly reflected in the speech delivered by Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which portrayed Venezuela as an authoritarian state supported by a bloc of similarly “authoritarian” governments and groups – Cuba, China, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah – while failing to grasp the devastating consequences these and other countries endure because of illegal US sanctions and threats.
Read more: Every year, sanctions kill more people than wars
On the other hand, human rights activists and cultural figures rejected such claims. The Network of Intellectuals, Artists, and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity (REDH) published a letter on December 9 criticizing the Nobel Committee’s decision, writing that the award is “already stained with blood.”
“As these lines are being written, more than 80 Latin Americans have been killed in summary executions under the pretext of the fight against drug trafficking, carried out on the orders of Donald Trump and promoted and applauded by your award winner,” the signatories stated. They further emphasized Machado’s close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and her support for the genocide against Palestinians. “What peace will they talk about at your ceremony?,” they asked.
Read more: Resistance builds within the United States against Trump’s drive to war with Venezuela
Álvarez emphasizes that Machado has confirmed her support for the US line both before and after her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. “Machado has actively reinforced Trump’s false accusations that Venezuela is run by a drug cartel and poses a threat to the United States, while Trump threatens the country with military intervention,” she says. “Her support for military escalation, together with her statements, goes against the struggles for peace and the mandate of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Four UN bodies have characterized Trump’s military actions in the Caribbean and threats as extrajudicial executions and violations of international law.”
“It is important for social movements to take a stand against any actions of war or any military escalation in Latin America, and demand that their European governments defend international law, whether it be in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan or Venezuela,” she continues. “Latin America has been free of interstate war for more than 30 years. US interventions have never brought peace or democracy, but humanitarian and democratic crises. We have seen it in the Latin American region, but also in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.”
Source: Matias Smith
Solidarity organizations argue that Machado’s activities thus not only undermine Venezuela’s sovereignty, but also pave the way for similar destabilization campaigns across the region. In response, the groups are calling for increased mobilization in defense of Latin American sovereignty and against US imperialism, with some of them holding more protests in Norway.
“The current situation represents more than bilateral disputes between the US and individual nations,” the International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) noted. “Simultaneous pressures on multiple countries – from military threats against Venezuela to soft coup attempts in Mexico, from the militarization of Ecuador to the intensification of the blockade against Cuba – indicates a comprehensive strategy to reshape hemispheric relations through coercion and impose US dominance over the region’s resources.”
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