On Thursday, Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado made her first public appearance in nearly a year in Norway, as her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Machado had been in seclusion since January 9, following a brief detention after participating in a rally in Caracas. Her accolade was awarded for her non-violent resistance against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

The crowd cheered “Freedom!” as Machado appeared on a hotel balcony in Oslo, greeting her supporters before leading them in a rendition of Venezuela’s national anthem.

In an audio message shared on the Nobel website, Machado expressed her regret at not being able to attend the ceremony in person, noting that many had “risked their lives” to make her presence possible in Oslo.

Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, acknowledges the crowd at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, on December 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)

“I am very grateful to them, and this is a measure of what this recognition means to the Venezuelan people,” she said.

Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Prize in her place, saying that her mother “wants to live in a free Venezuela” and “will never give up on that purpose.” 

“That is why we all know, and I know, that she will be back in Venezuela very soon,” Sosa added.

The daughter of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ana Corina Sosa, accepts the award on behalf of her mother, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Norway, on Dec. 10. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix, Pool via AP)

Outside the hotel, Machado interacted and hugged people in the crowd, as they snapped pictures and sprinkled her with chants of “President! President!”

“I want you all back in Venezuela,” Machado said.

Machado’s appearance came after President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, a move that could further strain relations with Maduro’s government, which already is subject to extensive U.S. sanctions targeting the country’s oil sector.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 9, 2025.  (REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno)

Since September, U.S. military strikes have targeted alleged narcotraffickers near Venezuela at least 22 times, killing 87 people. Trump has also recently said Maduro’s “days are numbered” and refused to rule out a ground operation in Venezuela. 

Steve Yates, senior research fellow for China and national security policy at The Heritage Foundation, said on “Fox News @ Night” on Wednesday that Machado’s visit overseas was an opportunity to get “greater international support” for her cause, adding that Trump might benefit from having more of America’s allies in Europe support a “non-invasion” approach.

The Venezuelan opposition leader has previously been outspoken in her support for the Trump administration’s actions against Maduro’s regime and the country’s narcotrafficking network.

After the award was announced in October, the newly minted Nobel Peace Prize winner dedicated the award to both Trump and the “suffering people of Venezuela.”

Venezuelan vessel destroyed during U.S. military strike off of Venezuela Sept. 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

Machado said during a “Fox & Friends Weekend” interview last month that Venezuela was standing at the “threshold of freedom,” highlighting her new “freedom manifesto” that envisions a future without the Maduro regime.