Venezuela's Second-in-Command Says U.S.-Backed Opposition Leader Machado Left Country on Diplomatic-Immunity Flight, Calls Nobel Prize a 'Show'

Venezuela's second-in-command, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, said U.S.-backed opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has left the country aboard a plane with diplomatic immunity, suggesting her departure was coordinated ahead of next week's Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

Cabello made the comments during his weekly television program, claiming preparations for what he called a "show" are already underway.

"The red-carpet spectacle where she will collect the prize that seems more bought than earned has been ready for a while," he said. He dismissed media reports describing uncertainty over Machado's location. "The reality is less poetic," he said, alleging she departed "with logistical planning and planes that travel silently with diplomatic immunity."

Cabello linked her reported absence from public communication to that claim. "Between Friday and Monday she did not answer calls or connect — not even an emoji. That only means one thing: she is moving," he said. He characterized the secrecy around her whereabouts as "posturing for social media and consumption by her fan club."

Machado has not publicly confirmed where she is or whether she has left Venezuela. The Nobel Committee, however, has said it expects her to attend the ceremony in Norway. Its chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, told public broadcaster NRK recently that the trip "is dangerous because the Venezuelan government has said it wants to get rid of her," and expressed hope her safety would be guaranteed so she could both arrive and return.

Speaking Thursday in a video message posted online, Machado urged Venezuelans abroad to join a coordinated march on Saturday "for peace and freedom," four days before the Nobel award ceremony. She said the mobilization will take place in at least 80 cities across more than 20 countries. "Each torch, each candle, each light will be a cry for the peace and freedom of Venezuela," she said.

Machado added that the Nobel Prize recognizes "democratic struggle, citizen organization and the conviction that Venezuela was born to be free," and called for continued international visibility. Her party, Vente Venezuela, has not announced marches inside the country, citing security concerns amid what it called an "escalating crackdown."