Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding for months, has told the BBC that she knows exactly the risks she's taking by travelling to Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize.
Machado appeared in Oslo in the middle of the night, waving from the balcony of a hotel. It was the first time she has been seen in public since January.
The 58-year-old made the covert journey despite a travel ban and threats from the Venezuelan government that she would be labelled as a fugitive.
In an emotional moment, Machado waved to cheering supporters who had gathered outside the Norwegian capital's Grand Hotel, blowing them kisses and singing with them.
To their delight, she then came outside and greeted them in person, climbing over the security barricades to get closer.
Maria! Maria! they shouted, holding their phones aloft to record the historic moment.
The Nobel Institute awarded Machado the prize this year for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela. Earlier on Wednesday, her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her mother's behalf.
Until Wednesday night, the mother of three had not seen her children in about two years, having sent them away from Venezuela for their own safety.
In an interview with the BBC's Lucy Hockings after her balcony appearance, Machado expressed her deep regret at missing family events. For over 16 months I haven't been able to hug or touch anyone, she said. Suddenly in the matter of a few hours I've been able to see the people I love the most, and touch them and cry and pray together.
During her BBC interview, Machado displayed several rosary beads hanging around her neck that supporters had given to her outside the hotel.
There is significant speculation about whether she will be able to return safely to Venezuela. Of course I'm going back, she told the BBC. I know exactly the risks I'm taking.
I'm going to be in the place where I'm most useful for our cause, she added. Until a short time ago, the place I thought I had to be was Venezuela; the place I believe I have to be today, on behalf of our cause, is Oslo.
Considered one of the country's most respected voices in Venezuela's opposition, Machado has denounced President Nicolás Maduro's government as criminal and called for Venezuelans to unite to depose it.
Machado was barred from running in last year's presidential elections, which Maduro won amidst allegations of their illegitimacy. The Maduro government has repeatedly threatened her with arrest, accusing her of inciting foreign invasion and terrorism.
Last month, the Venezuelan attorney general warned that Machado would be considered a fugitive if she traveled to Norway for the prize ceremony. The risk associated with her journey to Norway was significant, with her plan remaining undisclosed until the last minute, even to Nobel officials.
According to reports, Machado escaped Venezuela disguised, navigating through military checkpoints and making her way by sea with the help of a network that aids individuals fleeing the country.
Machado confirmed receiving assistance from the U.S. government but did not provide further details about her exodus. There are many men and women who risked their lives for me to arrive in Oslo, she stated.
This sentiment was mirrored by Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who noted the extreme danger of her journey, calling it a historic event. Machado also reiterated the need for the international community's help in combating the regime, urging to perceive it not simply as a dictatorship but as a criminal structure.
As calls grow for a peaceful transition from the current government, Machado maintains that she and her supporters are prepared to take governmental responsibility in Venezuela, having offered to negotiate a peaceful transition with the Maduro team, which was rejected.
