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“We congratulate Maria Corina Machado on being announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize,” said OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan.
“This recognition reflects the clear aspirations of the people of Venezuela for free and fair elections, for civil and political rights and for the rule of law. The High Commissioner has consistently spoken out in support of these values.”
The 58-year-old politician who was barred from running in last year’s presidential elections, lives in hiding inside Venezuela and was briefly detained after attending an opposition rally in January. She was rapidly released reportedly following international pressure.
Ms. Machado thanked the Nobel committee for the honour saying it was the “achievement of a whole society…I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this.”
‘A champion of democracy’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated her, saying she had been “a champion of democracy and a voice of unity in her country of Venezuela.”
The tools of democracy “are the tools of peace,” he continued, adding that as democracy and the rule of law are increasingly under threat, the prize was a tribute to everyone working to safeguard civil and political rights around the world.
The UN Human Rights Council-established independent investigative body known as the Venezuela Fact-Finding Mission, said the award “underscores the importance of the fundamental right to political participation and the urgent need to ensure the human rights of those who exercise it.”
Opposition figures held incommunicado
Strong evidence of serious restrictions on civic freedoms in Venezuela has been documented in numerous reports mandated by the Human Rights Council.
Earlier this year, independent human rights investigators reporting to the Council in Geneva urged the authorities to stop the reported practice of holding political opponents incommunicado.
They insisted that these “targeted detentions” were illegal and amounted to enforced disappearance, a major human rights violation if proved and potentially an international crime.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has also consistently expressed concerns about alleged abuses in the Latin American nation.
In December 2024, Mr. Türk highlighted the “disproportionate use of force and violence” during post-electoral protests earlier in the year, “including by armed individuals supporting the government” that resulted in at least 28 deaths.
In July, the Venezuelan National Assembly declared Mr. Türk and OHCHR staff persona non grata, effectively barring UN human rights work there.
Universal rights
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Mr. Al-Kheetan stressed that OHCHR sought to engage with the Government of Venezuela and all other stakeholders.
“We remain firmly committed to continue working to defend and protect the human rights of all Venezuelans, whether they are in Venezuela or abroad, and based of course on information and with the victims at the centre of our work,” he said.
“The bottom line here is that we need more engagement with the authorities,” he continued, noting that the National Assembly of Venezuela had regretfully voted in favour of declaring the High Commissioner persona non grata.
More to follow on this story…
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