The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is alarmed by the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado on December 10, despite the massive military escalation by the US off the coast of Venezuela.
“With María Corina Machado, the Nobel Committee is honoring a politician who advocates radical regime change and the comprehensive privatization of Venezuela’s oil and natural resources, and who is in favor of US intervention. Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Machado while Washington is simultaneously building up a military threat in the Caribbean and openly preparing for a political and economic reorganization of Venezuela sends a highly problematic signal,” says Jan Königshausen, Advisor on Indigenous Peoples at the STP.
In recent weeks, the US military has repeatedly attacked Venezuelan boats in international waters. At the same time, the situation at the country’s borders is escalating: the unilateral closure of Venezuelan airspace has recently led to new tensions with Colombia and underscores the increasing regionalization of the conflict.
According to its announcement, the Nobel Committee wants to award Machado the prize “for her tireless efforts to promote the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” “Machado stands for neither democracy nor a just and peaceful transition process. The country would pay a high price for the US intervention she advocates—its sovereignty. A Peace Prize laureate who supports such a course is in flagrant contradiction to the award’s claim,” Königshausen emphasizes.
“Those who want to promote peace must pave the way for a positive peace – a peace that protects the rights of the civilian population, Indigenous Peoples, and also the opposition. Neither the repression of the Maduro regime nor military intervention from outside will bring peace. They reproduce patterns of violence that have long characterized Latin America. The Nobel Committee must not allow this important prize to become part of this dynamic,” appeals the human rights activist.
This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.
Contact: Jan Königshausen, Advisor on Indigenous Peoples – 65]G378o?6DF29D8:?6@<];