Instrument of peace turned into an instrument of war

ASSANGE FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NOBEL FOUNDATION

This year’s decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado raises the question—according to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange—of whether funds from the Nobel endowment, instead of promoting peace, have been redirected toward facilitating aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. For that reason, Assange has filed a criminal complaint against the Nobel Foundation in Sweden, adding that he is seeking to block the transfer of approximately $1.18 million that Machado is supposed to receive as part of the award.

When the Nobel Committee granted her the prize in October, it justified the decision by stating that she had promoted human rights and fought for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. But Assange argues that the “instrument of peace” has been turned “into an instrument of war.” According to his criminal complaint, Machado encourages and supports “the commission of international crimes” by the United States, which is exerting military pressure to force Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down. Analysts describe the current situation as the largest U.S. military deployment in Latin America since the Cuban Missile Crisis, now exceeding 15,000 Marines, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Since September, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered more than 20 strikes on drug‑smuggling vessels in the Caribbean allegedly linked to Maduro, resulting in 104 deaths so far.

“The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has labeled these U.S. coastal attacks on civilian vessels as extrajudicial executions. The chief architect of this aggression was none other than Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who nominated María Corina Machado for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Assange stated.

The fear that has gripped Venezuelans for months intensified further when Trump announced a few days ago that he would launch a “ground intervention.” In this context, Assange claims that Machado continues to encourage the United States to pursue escalation. In his view, the goal is to give America access to the world’s largest oil reserves through privatization once the current president, Maduro, is overthrown and replaced by Machado.

Assange also recalls that her selection for the Nobel Prize was not without controversy, as she faced criticism for her open support of Israel during what he describes as the genocidal war in Gaza, including a phone call she had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On that occasion, she promised that, if she came to power, she would move Venezuela’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Therefore, according to the WikiLeaks founder, Machado is “categorically excluded” from consideration for the award because she violates the criteria set out in the will of its founder, Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel.

“The 1895 document explicitly states that the Peace Prize should be awarded to a person who, during the preceding year, ‘has conferred the greatest benefit on humankind’ by doing ‘the most or the best work for fraternity between nations,’” said Assange, who was released last year from Britain’s Belmarsh prison under a plea agreement after years in detention for publishing hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. government documents.

And these are not the only scandals surrounding this year’s ‘icon of global pacifism.’ The Nobel Institute earlier launched an investigation—still ongoing—into a possible leak of information about the names of this year’s Peace Prize laureates. The reason for the investigation was a sudden spike in online betting on María Corina Machado just hours before the official announcement. On Polymarket, one of the world’s largest prediction markets, her chances of winning had been only 3.7 percent on the day of the announcement, before inexplicably jumping to 31.5 percent.

According to the Financial Times, out of a total of 338 candidates—244 individuals and 94 organizations—including U.S. President Donald Trump, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the World Health Organization, and UN Secretary‑General António Guterres—neither the media nor experts considered Machado to be among the leading contenders.

Source: Politika/author V. Filipović

Photo: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says the Nobel Peace Prize should go to someone who promotes ‘fraternity’ between nations © Sameer AL-DOUMY / AFP

About the author: Dragana Trifkovic

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