The opposition politician Maria Corina Machado has been planning her return from the United States to Venezuela for months. When the devastating double earthquake hit the coastal region of La Guaira in June, she believed that the time was right. In a video message, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner accused Venezuela's interim government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, of actively obstructing disaster relief. This accusation is also voiced by earthquake victims and some aid organizations.
Machado recorded the video in Panama City. From there, she planned to fly to Venezuela. Sources close to her allege that Venezuela's government threatened the airline with a landing ban if Machado were on board. Neither Copa Airlines nor Venezuela's government has confirmed the claim, nor have they denied it.
In the video, Machado does not mention an incident that The Wall Street Journal reported in early July. According to the article, in June Machado attempted to fly from the United States to the Dutch-held Caribbean island of Curacao by private jet and then to travel to Venezuela by boat. In December, she had secretly left traveled the same route in the opposite direction to fly to Oslo for the Nobel Prize ceremony.
