Bryan Stern, an American special forces veteran, personally led the successful rescue of María Corina Machado. She has played a key role as a leader of the Venezuelan opposition. The complex attack took almost 16 hours to play out, primarily under cover of darkness. At the same time, Machado was preparing to receive her own Nobel Peace Prize back in Norway. The mission required sail through hazardous waters from the Venezuelan coast to a planned rendezvous point off the coast.
The raid started at dawn when Machado stepped onto a boat that took off in the dark of morning. She departed the rendezvous point and took a flight to Oslo. She came in mere hours after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. For Machado, this event was a real turning point. Having not been able to visit her daughter in two years, she too was excited about visiting her daughter in Norway.
On arrival in Oslo, Machado received rapturous applause from supporters waiting for her at the Grand Hotel. That bittersweet reality of her amazing accomplishment was marred by the events that led to her exodus from Venezuela. After last year’s stolen election, Machado found himself under growing repression and was forced into exile. Venezuelan authorities dramatically escalated their repression of political opposition.
Stern said they were very worried about what would happen if Machado was sent back to Venezuela. He implored her to make her safety the priority. Going back to a country where she would not only be imprisoned for her activism, but perhaps killed, was too big a risk.
“When we were on the boat together, we talked about this, and I begged her not to go back,” – Bryan Stern
He elaborated on the high stakes of the rescue operation, noting the surveillance and threats posed by Venezuelan and foreign intelligence services. The action came exactly when the world was turning its attention to Machado after her recent nomination for the Nobel Prize. This timing greatly compounded the danger.
“Because of her face, because of her signature, because the entire Venezuelan intelligence service, the entire Cuban intelligence service, parts of the Russian intelligence, were all looking for her for months… it made this operation significantly more high risk than we’ve ever done before,” – Bryan Stern
While it is true that the US government has supported these efforts, exactly what this support looks like is less clear. Both Machado and her team have refused to comment on the specific extraction operation at issue. Stern described coordination with US military leadership on the general location of the mission. They refused to disclose details until the very last minute before execution.
“Overwhelmingly, this is the hardest, most high profile, most delicate operation we’ve conducted,” – Bryan Stern
Stern emphasized how much he admired Machado’s bravery and commitment to her mission. He called her a real life hero, embodying the word resiliency when adversity strikes.
“She’s a real hero and icon of mine, and to put her back in harm’s way where she may be arrested, killed, tortured… I would really not want to do that,” – Bryan Stern
Even with these threats, Machado is undeterred and still focused on her work as a leader intends for her people to work. Her spirit embodies the resilience of millions of Venezuelans continuing to fight for democracy in the wake of an enduring political crisis.
