She has been tear-gassed, threatened, and banned from office — yet María Corina Machado never stopped speaking for a silenced nation.
Now, at 58, Venezuela’s most determined dissident has been named the country’s first Nobel Peace Prize winner — and only the 20th woman to ever receive it.
An engineer turned opposition leader, she has spent years standing up to Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, a government that jails critics and silences dissent.
Now in hiding, Machado continues to speak out — urging even soldiers to trade loyalty to power for loyalty to the people. Her surprise and humility in accepting the award stood in sharp contrast to nominee Donald Trump, who chest thumped and demanded it.
Amid bloody wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, peace seems unattainable. But perhaps that’s why this award matters — because someone, somewhere, must still believe. The question is, do we?
Guest: Harsh Mander, human-rights activist and founder of Karwan-e-Mohabbat
Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran
Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian
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