Oslo [Norway], October 10 (HBTV): The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Maria Corina Machado ‘for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’
Describing her as a ‘brave and committed champion of peace,’ the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the prize had been given to ‘a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.’
‘Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence,’ the Committee stated.
The Committee noted that Machado has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people. ‘The Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation. In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair,’ it said.
‘Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices are heard,’ the Committee added.
It further said that Machado meets all three criteria outlined in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. ‘She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy,’ the Committee noted.
The Nobel Committee concluded that Machado represents the hope of a future in which people can live freely and peacefully, with their rights protected and their voices heard.
Wangari Maathai was the first female professor in Kenya and the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She founded the Green Belt Movement, which led to the planting of millions of trees.
The Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, and Literature have already been announced this week. The Prize in Economics will be declared on Monday.
(ANI)