Hundreds protest for return of Nobel peace laureate Machado to Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP)—Hundreds of protesters demanded the return of exiled opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado to Venezuela, AFP observed at a demonstration in Caracas on Thursday.

"Maria Corina, come, we're waiting for you!" the crowd chanted, marching under an enormous Venezuelan flag.

Machado was blocked from entering the country on Tuesday after yet another attempt to return home, sources from her political party told AFP.

That same day, Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Protester Douglas Mata, 65, questioned why Machado had been prevented from coming home.

"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," he said.

Rodriguez took over from President Nicolas Maduro after his ouster by US forces in January, and has effectively governed under Washington's thumb since then.

The White House denies allegations that Trump has vetoed Machado's return to Venezuela.

The opposition figure came out of hiding in December, when she traveled to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

After a brief stint in the United States, she settled in Panama City, where she now lives in exile.