Nobel Laureate Maria Corina Machado Vows To Return To Venezuela Amid 'Alarming' Crackdown

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she plans to return to Venezuela "as soon as possible" after secretly leaving the country and traveling to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking on Fox News' Hannity, Machado warned that the Maduro administration appears to be escalating a domestic crackdown on dissent, targeting supporters of the U.S. operation and journalists.

Background

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest on Jan. 9, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela.

Machado said she spent more than 16 months in hiding before departing Venezuela last month. She dedicated her Nobel Prize to President Donald Trump and told host Sean Hannity she left hiding because she believed she could be more useful speaking out from abroad and preparing to return home.

"Well, first of all, I’m planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible," Machado said. "As I’ve always said, Sean, every day I make a decision where I am more useful for our cause. That’s why I stayed in hiding for over 16 months, and that’s why I decided to go out, because I believed that at this moment I’m more useful to our cause, being able to speak out from where I’m at right now. But I’m going to go as soon possible back home."

Allegations of a Crackdown

Nicolás Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse on Jan. 5, 2026, in New York City.

Machado described developments in the 24 hours after reported U.S. action against Nicolás Maduro as "really alarming." She said the Maduro government issued an executive order and a state-of-emergency decree that, according to her, call for the persecution of Venezuelans who supported the U.S. operation. She also alleged that at least 14 journalists have been detained amid the response.

According to Reuters, a state-of-emergency decree issued Saturday and published Monday instructs police to "immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States." Machado urged both the United States and the Venezuelan people to monitor the situation closely and to ensure that any transition away from Maduro continues.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term.

Leadership Concerns

Machado sharply criticized Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president on Monday. Rodríguez has served as vice president under Maduro since 2018. Machado accused Rodríguez of overseeing torture, persecution and corruption, and of maintaining close ties with Russia, China and Iran—charges Machado said make Rodríguez unfit to lead any transitional authority.

U.S. Operations and Detentions

The Trump administration announced that U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after "large-scale" operations targeting the Venezuelan government. U.S. officials said the couple are reportedly being held in New York while they await trial on narco-terrorism charges. Machado called for continued international attention to protect civilians, journalists and political opponents while the country navigates the transition.

Fox News reporters Maria Lencki and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.