‘Do Not Become an Instrument of Empire,’ Nobel Laureate Pérez Esquivel Tells Machado

By Adolfo Pérez Esquivel – Oct 13, 2025

I send you the greetings of Peace and Good that humanity and the peoples living in poverty, conflict, war, and hunger so desperately need. This open letter is to express your feelings and share some thoughts.

I was surprised by your award of the Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel Committee. It reminded me of the struggles against dictatorships on the continent and in my country—military regimes we endured from 1976 to 1983. We withstood prisons, torture and exile, with thousands disappeared, children kidnapped and missing, and the death flights, of which I am a survivor.

In 1980, the Nobel Committee awarded me the Nobel Peace Prize. Forty-five years have passed, and I continue working in service to the poorest and alongside the peoples of Latin America. I accepted this high distinction not for the prize itself, but on behalf of all those who share in the struggles and hopes of building a new dawn. Peace is built day by day, and we must be consistent between our words and our actions.

At 94, I remain a lifelong learner, and I am deeply concerned about your positions and your social and political choices. Therefore, I send you these reflections.

The Venezuelan government is a democracy with its lights and shadows. Hugo Chávez paved the way for freedom and sovereignty for the people and fought for continental unity—he was an awakening of the Great Homeland. The United States constantly attacked him: it cannot allow any country on the continent to escape its orbit and colonial dependence. It continues to treat Latin America as its “backyard.” The U.S. blockade of Cuba for more than 60 years is an attack on the freedom and rights of the people. The resistance of the Cuban people is an example of dignity and strength.

I am surprised by how closely you align yourself with the United States. You must know it has no allies or friends—only interests. The dictatorships imposed in Latin America were instruments of its domination, destroying the social, cultural and political fabric of peoples fighting for freedom and self-determination. We, the peoples, resist and fight for the right to be free and sovereign—not a colony of the United States.

The government of Nicolás Maduro lives under threat from the United States and its blockade. Consider the naval forces in the Caribbean and the danger of an invasion of your country. You have not spoken out—or worse, you support the great power’s interference against Venezuela. The Venezuelan people are ready to confront this threat.

Corina, I ask you: Why did you call on the United States to invade Venezuela? When you received the announcement that you had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, you dedicated it to Trump—the aggressor against your country who lies and accuses Venezuela of being a drug trafficker. This lie echoes George W. Bush’s claim that Saddam Hussein possessed “weapons of mass destruction”—a pretext to invade Iraq, plunder it and cause thousands of victims, including women and children. I was at the children’s hospital in Baghdad at the war’s end and witnessed the destruction and deaths wrought by those who proclaim themselves defenders of freedom. The worst form of violence is a lie.

Nobel ‘War’ Prize: Machado Awarded for Advocating US, Israeli Attack on Venezuela

Do not forget, Corina, that Panama was invaded by the United States, causing death and destruction to capture a former ally, General Noriega. The invasion left 1,200 dead in Los Chorrillos. Today, the United States seeks to seize the Panama Canal once again. It is a long list of interventions and suffering across Latin America and the world. The veins of Latin America are still open, as Eduardo Galeano wrote.

I am troubled that you did not dedicate the Nobel Prize to your people—but to the aggressor against Venezuela. I believe, Corina, you must reflect deeply on where you stand: Are you merely another instrument of U.S. colonialism, subordinated to its interests of domination—interests that can never serve your people? As an opponent of the Maduro government, your positions and choices generate great uncertainty. You resort to the worst possible option when you call for a U.S. invasion of Venezuela.

What matters is this: building peace demands great strength and courage for the good of your people—whom I know and love deeply. Where once there were shantytowns in the hills, where people survived in poverty and destitution, today there are decent homes, health care, education and culture. The dignity of the people cannot be bought or sold.

Corina, as the poet says: “Walker, there is no path; the path is made by walking.” Now you have the opportunity to work for your people and build peace—not provoke greater violence. One evil is not resolved by a greater evil. We will only have two evils, never a solution to the conflict.

Open your mind and heart to dialogue, to encounter with your people. Empty the jug of violence and build peace and unity among your people, so that the light of freedom and equality may enter.

(Página 12)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JB/SH