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The Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel harshly criticized the Norwegian Nobel Committee this Friday after the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her defense of democratic rights in Venezuela.
“The politicization, partiality, and discrediting of the Norwegian Nobel Committee for Peace have reached unprecedented levels,” wrote Díaz-Canel on his official account on the social media platform X.
In a second message, he added: “It is shameful to award this Prize in 2025 to a person who incites military intervention in their homeland and to past protests where people were burned alive.”
Finally, the Cuban leader concluded his message with explicit support for the regime of Nicolás Maduro: “We firmly reject this political maneuver that seeks to isolate #Venezuela and undermine its Bolivarian leadership, headed by its legitimate President, Nicolás Maduro Moros.”
María Corina Machado was awarded this Friday for her “tireless efforts to promote the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her fight for a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” according to the official statement from the Nobel Committee, issued from Oslo.
The president of the Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, described her as “a brave and committed defender of peace,” and assured that Machado “keeps the flame of democracy alive amid a rising darkness.”
The opposition leader reacted emotionally upon receiving the call from the Committee: “Oh my God... I have no words. It is an honor and I know it is very good news for the people of Venezuela.”
In his social media, Machado dedicated the award to the Venezuelans and reaffirmed his commitment to freedom: “This immense recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is an impetus to complete our task: to conquer Freedom.”
He also expressed gratitude for the international support: “Today more than ever we have the backing of President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world.”
With this award, Machado becomes the first Venezuelan to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, establishing herself as one of the most influential figures in Latin America today.
His trajectory as a leader of the democratic movement in Venezuela has been crucial for unifying the opposition against the Chavista regime and promoting free elections and a peaceful transition in the South American country.
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