Hundreds protest for return of Machado to Venezuela
The exiled opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was blocked from entering the country on Tuesday after another attempt to return home.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Caracas on Thursday to demand the return of exiled opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado to Venezuela. The crowd chanted "Maria Corina, come, we're waiting for you!" while marching under a large Venezuelan flag.
Machado was blocked from re-entering the country on Tuesday following another failed attempt to return home. Her political party informed AFP of this development. On the same day, Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez met with US President Donald Trump during the UN General Assembly in New York.
A 65-year-old protester named Douglas Mata questioned the apparent double standards: "It's not possible that they receive Delcy Rodriguez like a queen in the United States, yet they won't let Maria Corina enter her own country." Rodriguez succeeded Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's leader after his removal by US forces in January. Since then, she has effectively governed under Washington's influence.
The White House has denied claims that Trump blocked Machado's return to Venezuela. Machado resurfaced in December when she traveled to Norway to receive her Nobel Peace Prize. After a short time in the United States, she resettled in Panama City, which is currently her place of exile.
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