English version of the article from Oslo’s Aftenposten published on December 12
Magalli Meda, a close collaborator, confirmed the injury but denied that it would prevent her return to Venezuela in the future.
Maria Corina Machado sustained serious injuries during her dramatic escape from Venezuela. Now, doctors in Oslo have detected a fracture in one of her vertebrae, according to sources close to the situation.
December 12, 2025 by Kristoffer Rønneberg
Photo: Leonhard Foeger, Reuters/NTB
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, has been in Oslo since early Thursday morning.
Brief Version
The injury reportedly occurred when she fled in a small fishing boat from Venezuela last Monday. The sea journey was extremely dramatic, not only due to bad weather with strong winds and large waves.
After arriving in Norway on Thursday morning, these injuries were assessed at the University Hospital of Ullevål in Oslo. Doctors reportedly identified several injuries, including a fracture in a vertebra.
This is reported to Aftenposten by sources close to the situation. The information has been confirmed by other sources in Norway familiar with Machado’s medical visit.
Following the initial publication of this article, Magalli Meda confirmed it to Aftenposten. She is Machado’s spokesperson.
The injury has caused Machado to extend her stay in Norway while awaiting medical recommendations on the next steps for her treatment.
Maria Corina Machado
However, the spinal fracture will not prevent her from returning to her country at a later date, a source close to the case informs.
“She fully intends to return to Venezuela. Despite the diagnosis, Machado remains completely committed to her political and democratic work. At the same time, she will follow the advice given by her doctors,” says the source.
Photo: Stein J. Bjørge
Photo: Stein J. Bjørge
Despite her back injury, Machado has been able to accomplish a lot during her stay in Oslo. On Thursday, she visited the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).
After Machado was announced in October as the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, it was unclear for a long time whether she could arrive in Oslo to receive the award.
She lives in hiding in her home country, Venezuela, and risks arrest and imprisonment by the regime if captured. Therefore, she had to be smuggled out of the country.
Planned over two months
The escape was reportedly extremely dramatic. Machado had to disguise herself with a wig when she left her hideout in a suburb of the capital, Caracas. She then had to pass through ten military checkpoints before reaching the coast.
From there, she crossed the Caribbean Sea in a small fishing boat under very adverse weather conditions, finally arriving in the small island state of Curacao. It was during this part of the journey that she sustained her back injury.
The escape was planned for approximately two months by a network of supporters and individuals wanting regime change in Venezuela. U.S. defense authorities were reportedly informed about the trip to avoid a military airstrike against the boat she was traveling on, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The arduous journey caused her to arrive in Oslo too late for the award ceremony on Wednesday. Instead, her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the award and spoke on behalf of her mother at the Oslo City Hall.
Staying in Norway
The Nobel laureate arrived in Oslo early Thursday and has been staying in Norway since then. It is not known how long she will remain in the country. Neither is it clear where she will receive treatment from a specialist who can assist her with her back injury.
The University Hospital of Ullevål has not confirmed or denied that Machado has undergone tests with them.
“We cannot, due to adherence to privacy regulations and confidentiality obligations, respond to such inquiries, whether it’s about King Solomon or Jørgen Hattemaker,” said press spokesman Anders Bayer.
