Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Recounts Perilous Escape from Venezuela
Maria Corina Machado recounts losing GPS and facing towering waves during a perilous maritime journey from Venezuela amid pressure from the Maduro regime.
Venezuelan, Jan 17 : Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Saturday described a harrowing escape by sea from her home country, saying she feared for her life amid mounting pressure from the Maduro regime that ultimately brought her to the United States.
Speaking at a Washington news conference held at the Heritage Foundation think tank, Machado recounted how strong winds and high seas battered the small vessel during the journey. “There was a certain moment in the trip, in the boat, where… I was hurt because the waves were very high, over six feet,” she said.
Machado said critical navigation systems failed simultaneously during the crossing. “We got lost in the ocean. We lost the signal of the GPS,” she told reporters, adding that both the satellite phone and Starlink antenna stopped working at the same time. The ordeal, she said, was “very risky, dangerous, and scary” and lasted for several hours.
The opposition leader declined to provide further details of the escape, citing safety concerns for those who assisted her. “For the protection of those involved… I will wait until the regime is no longer in capacity to harm them,” she said.
Machado attributed her survival to what she described as near‑miraculous circumstances. “That’s why I believe it is a miracle … I know that someday I will be able to tell you all the details,” she remarked.
At the same event, Machado also addressed broader political issues, portraying Venezuela’s crisis as rooted in criminal networks rather than personal rivalries and expressing confidence in support from the United States.
Her escape follows months in hiding inside Venezuela amid a fierce crackdown by President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which had restricted her movements and made it dangerous for her to appear publicly.
Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a prominent critic of Venezuelan authoritarianism, continues to advocate for democratic transition while recounting the perilous journey that brought her to international attention.
