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Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado blocked from entering country 3 times in 24 hours, team says
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Venezuela's opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado has been repeatedly denied entry into Venezuela from her exile in Panama, according to her political party.
- The Venezuelan government considers Machado a fugitive, accusing her of calling for military intervention, and she has been unable to return since being secretly evacuated in December to accept her Nobel Prize.
- Machado has attempted to re-enter Venezuela multiple times by air and sea, including after the June 24 earthquakes, but was turned away each time due to travel restrictions, cancellations, and mechanical issues.
- These events coincide with a meeting between Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.N. General Assembly, amid ongoing U.S.-backed transition talks from which Machado was excluded.
- Venezuela experienced severe repression following Maduro's disputed 2024 re-election, though the crackdown has lessened since the U.S. seized Maduro in a January raid on Caracas.
