María Corina Machado published a public letter after U.S. forces reportedly captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, declaring "The time for freedom has come!" Machado — a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who recently fled to Norway — said Maduro will "face international justice" and urged Venezuelans at home and abroad to mobilize. She called for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to assume the presidency and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief as the country moves toward restoring order and freeing political prisoners. Machado asked supporters to stay vigilant and follow instructions from official opposition channels during the transition.
María Corina Machado Calls for Mass Mobilization After U.S. Capture of Nicolás Maduro
Venezuelan opposition leader releases letter after Maduro's capture
María Corina Machado issued a public letter to Venezuelans after President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were reportedly captured in a U.S. operation overnight Saturday. Machado — a longtime opposition leader who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize — said Maduro will "face international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations."
Machado, who spent much of the past year in hiding and is believed to have secretly traveled to Norway last month, posted the message on X (formerly Twitter). It was not immediately clear whether Machado was inside Venezuela when the letter was released. In mid-December she told CBS News she supported escalating international pressure on the Maduro regime and welcomed stronger measures to force a change in power.
What Machado Calls For
In her letter Machado declared "The time for freedom has come!" and urged Venezuelans at home and abroad to organize and mobilize for a democratic transition. She called for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia — whom opposition supporters recognize as Venezuela's legitimate president — to immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief by all members of the armed forces. Machado said the transition should restore order, release political prisoners, and begin rebuilding the country.
Full Text (Translated) — María Corina Machado's Letter To Venezuelans
Venezuelans, The time for freedom has come!
From today Nicolás Maduro will answer to international justice for the heinous crimes committed against Venezuelans and citizens of many other countries. Because he rejected a negotiated path, the United States government has executed its pledge to enforce the law.
The hour has arrived for popular and national sovereignty to be restored in our nation. We will reestablish order, free political prisoners, build an extraordinary country, and bring our children back home.
We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What was supposed to happen is now happening.
This is the moment for citizens: those of us who risked everything for democracy on June 28. Those who elected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela — he must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by every officer and soldier who composes it.
Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and take power. Let us stay vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is complete — a transition that requires ALL of us.
To Venezuelans inside the country: be ready to act on the instructions we will soon share through our official channels.
To Venezuelans abroad: mobilize to engage governments and citizens worldwide and commit them now to the major task of rebuilding the new Venezuela.
In these decisive hours, receive all my strength, my trust, and my affection. We remain alert and in contact.
VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE! We go hand in hand with God, until the end.
Note: Reporting around the operation that captured President Maduro and his wife is developing. Several details — including Machado's exact location at the time of publication and the legal and diplomatic fallout from the operation — remain fluid and subject to confirmation from official sources.
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