Venezuela has just had a total diplomatic breakdown.
A few days after the opposition leader maria corina machado After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the government of Nicolas Maduro abruptly closed the embassy in Norway. That’s right, the same country that awards the award.
The official announcement is a vague “reorganization of diplomatic services.” Real story? Venezuela’s authoritarian regime is having a seizure because its most famous dissident has just won one of the world’s highest honors for standing up to, well, them.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry said the move was “regrettable” but took a calm stance on it, reminding everyone that the Nobel Committee acts independently. Meanwhile, Caracas has doubled down and closed its embassy in Australia. Meanwhile, it has opened new embassies in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, countries officials describe as “strategic partners against hegemonic pressures.” In other words, these new Venezuelan friends won’t ask uncomfortable questions.
Maria Colina Machado: From engineer to symbol of rebellion
The rise of María Colina Machado is not just another typical political story. The Caracas-born industrial engineer turned democracy fighter co-founded Sumate in 2002 to track rigged elections under former leader Hugo Chávez. By 2011, she was already a member of parliament, but the regime expelled her for accusing her of human rights abuses.
Instead of abandoning, she founded Vente Venezuela, a movement that essentially became the backbone of what was left of the country’s democratic resistance movement. Even after being barred from running in 2023, she supported opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. She rallied a million volunteers to expose massive election fraud.
Her courage comes at a heavy price, including an assassination attempt, threats of expulsion, and the arrest of her closest allies. But she kept going. Her daughter accepted an international award on her behalf earlier this year, saying: “My mother spoke out despite the risks.”
A global moment that shook Caracas
Machado’s Nobel Prize was no fluke. She had already won international support, from the US Senate to the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize. Her movement grew into something of a symbol of nonviolent resistance. And when the Nobel Committee praised her for promoting a “peaceful transition to freedom,” it was basically diplomatic thunder heard all over Caracas.
What is President Maduro’s reaction? He literally called her a “devil witch.” Then he packed up his things at the embassy and flew out of Norway like an angry man leaving a party.
But for millions of Venezuelans living under censorship, deprivation and exile, Machado’s victory was a rare moment of hope. It was also a reminder that even when dictators try to close the door, the world is still watching.
Read more news from Norway here.
