Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she plans to return to Venezuela "as soon as possible," despite facing potential prosecution from the socialist regime of President Nicolás Maduro, she said in an interview with CBS News.
Machado made the comments after a dramatic escape from Venezuela that allowed her to travel to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, where she was reunited with her children for the first time in nearly two years.
The trip marked her first public appearance in almost a year, after living in hiding amid intensifying pressure from the Maduro government.
In an interview with "Face the Nation With Margaret Brennan," Machado said that accepting the prize was about more than personal recognition.
She described it as an acknowledgment of the Venezuelan people's long struggle against what she called a "criminal, narco-terrorist structure."
"This is a recognition to a nation that has fought tirelessly and courageously," Machado said, adding that she intends to bring the award back to the Venezuelan people.
Machado declined to provide operational details about her escape, citing security concerns.
However, the mission — known as Operation Golden Dynamite — was carried out by a privately funded American rescue team led by Bryan Stern, a U.S. Special Forces veteran from the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation.
The operation involved a dangerous journey by land and sea to evade Maduro's security forces, including a grueling 12-hour boat crossing before Machado boarded a flight to Norway.
U.S. officials were said to have monitored the mission in real time.
Last month, Venezuela's attorney general warned Machado would be labeled a "fugitive" if she left the country to accept the prize.
Asked by Brennan whether her children fear for her safety if she returns, Machado said their concern is shared by families across Venezuela.
She accused the Maduro regime of persecuting, torturing, killing and disappearing thousands of Venezuelans.
"When a criminal regime is falling apart and knows its days are numbered," Machado said, "it becomes even more aggressive and more violent."
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