Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado sustained a fractured vertebra during a trip to Oslo last week to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, her spokesperson confirmed. The injury reportedly occurred during a boat journey that was part of her travel from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding.
Claudia Macero, Machado’s spokesperson, confirmed the injury to the AFP news agency on Monday. According to a report in the Norwegian newspaper Aftonbladet, Machado, 58, sustained the fracture while crossing the sea in a small boat amid rough water conditions. She was later examined by doctors at Oslo University Hospital.
Media reports in the U.S. stated that Machado’s journey involved traveling in disguise from a Venezuelan village by boat to the island of Curacao before boarding a private plane to Norway. Machado had been in hiding since she was barred from participating in Venezuela’s presidential election last year, citing fears for her safety.
The Nobel committee awarded Machado the Peace Prize in October, citing her role in the country’s opposition movement and her support for democracy.
Machado did not arrive in Oslo in time for the Dec. 10 award ceremony. Her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf and delivered a speech. Machado made her first public appearance in nearly a year early on Thursday, greeting supporters from the balcony of an Oslo hotel.
During her appearance, Machado stated that authorities in Venezuela would have tried to prevent her journey to Norway.
On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro commented on the reports of Machado’s injury during a televised address.
“She says she has a broken vertebra,” Maduro said. “What’s broken is her brain and her soul because she’s a demon – she hates Venezuela.”
