“FOR HER TIRELESS PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS”: Venezuelan opposition leader awarded the Nobel Peace Prize!

The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, presented the award to the laureate.

He stated that Machado received the prize for her tireless work in promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to establish a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

He added that the award went to “a brave and dedicated champion of peace – a woman who keeps the flame of democracy alive amid growing darkness.”

The Nobel Committee stated that María Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace.

“She represents hope for a different future, in which the basic rights of citizens are protected and their voices are heard,” the statement reads.

It was further noted that Machado was forced into hiding during the previous year. Despite serious threats to her life, she remained in the country – a choice that, as pointed out, “inspired millions of people.”

“When autocrats take power, it is crucial to recognize the brave defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on people who refuse to remain silent, who dare to speak out despite great risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted but must always be defended – through words, courage, and determination,” the Nobel Committee stated.

What preceded the decision?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize, held its final meeting on Monday, the Nobel Institute announced today ahead of the revelation of the 2025 laureate.

This means that the name of the laureate was chosen long before the agreement between Israel and Hamas was reached under the intense pressure of Donald Trump, who openly craves the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Committee, composed of five members, usually makes its decision several days or even weeks before the official announcement and meets for the last time in the final stage to confirm its expectations.

U.S. President Donald Trump, since returning to office in January, has claimed that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, saying on several occasions that he played a role in resolving multiple conflicts. He recently stated that it would be an insult to the United States if he did not receive the award.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas “has absolutely no influence” on the choice of the 2025 laureate, as “the Nobel Committee had already made its decision,” Nobel historian Asle Sveen told AFP.

“Trump will not win the prize this year. I am 100 percent sure of that,” he said, noting that the U.S. president has long “given free rein” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bomb Gaza and has provided significant military assistance to the Israeli army.

This year, 338 individuals and organizations were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, among them Serbian students.