Wig, Makeup, and a Fishing Boat: How a Nobel Laureate Secretly Escaped from Venezuela to Oslo

Павялічыць

Details of the dramatic evacuation of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado are revealed by The Wall Street Journal.

The escape was prepared by a Venezuelan underground network over two months. Machado had been in hiding for a year in a Caracas suburb at that point. On Monday, December 8, in the afternoon, she began her journey. To get out of hiding, the politician put on a wig and used an elaborate disguise.

The first stage of the evacuation took 10 hours and was extremely tense. According to sources, Machado, along with two assistants, traveled to the coast in the north of the country, and on this journey, they had to pass through 10 military checkpoints.

The disguise worked: at none of the roadblocks did the military recognize the politician, and she managed to avoid arrest. They reached a coastal fishing village only closer to midnight, where Machado was able to rest a bit.

Call to the Americans

The group of organizers told journalists that before heading out to sea, they made an important call to the US military. They warned American forces in the region about who was on board the vessel, to avoid an airstrike similar to those that have destroyed over 20 similar boats and claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the last three months.

"We agreed that she would pass through a specific zone so they wouldn't blow up the boat," WSJ quotes a person close to the operation.

At 5 AM on Tuesday, January 9, Machado and her companions boarded a typical wooden fishing boat and headed into the open Caribbean Sea towards the island of Curaçao. The publication notes that the conditions were difficult: strong winds and waves slowed their progress.

According to people familiar with the situation, the Trump administration was aware of the operation, though the extent of its involvement remains undetermined (officials even denied direct contact).

Nevertheless, according to flight tracking data, at approximately the time of the crossing, two US Navy F-18 fighter jets entered the airspace of the Gulf of Venezuela. They circled near the boat's route for about 40 minutes, providing implicit cover. This marked the closest approach of American aviation to Venezuela since September.

Павялічыць

Curaçao and the Way to Europe

Around 3:00 PM on Tuesday, Machado arrived in Curaçao. There, she was met by a private contractor specializing in evacuations (according to newspaper sources, he was provided by the US administration). Exhausted from the long journey, the opposition leader checked into a hotel and spent the night there.

On Wednesday, December 10, as the sun rose over Curaçao and guests began to gather in Oslo, a private jet, provided by an associate from Miami, departed the island and headed to the Norwegian capital, making a stop in Bangor, Maine. Before boarding, Machado recorded an audio message, thanking the people who "risked their lives" so she could escape.

Secrecy was maintained until the last moment: the Nobel Committee began the ceremony without knowing the laureate's whereabouts. Her daughter accepted the award on her behalf. However, on Wednesday evening, Machado finally landed in Oslo. She immediately went to the Grand Hotel, where she appeared on the balcony to supporters amidst shouts of "Valiente" ("Brave").

Павялічыць

"I'm still trying to believe that I'm finally here," WSJ quotes her as saying.

Meanwhile, in Caracas, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez called the escape a "cheap show" that failed, and the Attorney General promised to consider Machado a fugitive criminal.

Now, as the WSJ writes, Machado plans to rest for a few days, as she had been in isolation and poorly fed for a long time. After this, she intends to tour Europe and the USA. Despite threats of arrest, she promises to return to Venezuela, as she had done before after secret trips to Colombia.

• 12
• 0
• 4
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 1