The Norwegian Nobel Committee has said that the Nobel Peace Prize is non-transferable and that the winner cannot change even if the medal is handed to a third party.
“A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time,” the committee declared in a statement issued on Friday.
This announcement comes in response to Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Machado, gifting US President Donald Trump her medal.
Ms Machado won the peace prize last year for her “tireless efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela, and struggle to achieve a peaceful transition” in the country.
But on Thursday, during her visit to the white house, she presented the medal to Mr Trump, nestling the medal in a golden frame with text that reads, “To President Donald J. Trump, In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy, and Defending Liberty and Prosperity.”
“Presented as a Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People in Recognition of President Trump’s Principled and Decisive Action to Secure a Free Venezuela,” the text in the frame continues. “The Courage of America, and its President Donald J. Trump, will Never be Forgotten by the Venezuelan People,” it read further.
In exchange, Mr Trump handed her a maroon bag that bears his signature in golden script.
In its reaction, the Nobel Committee stated that regardless of what is done with the medal or diploma, the original laureate remains the only recognised recipient of the prize.
The committee also noted that it does not comment on laureates’ subsequent statements or decisions on their awards.
It further added that there are no restrictions on what a laureate may do with the medal.
“This means that a laureate is free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items,” it said.
The Nobel Committee then listed some previous cases when recipients gave out their medals.
After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in October, Ms Machado had publicly dedicated the award to Mr Trump.
But when he was questioned whether Ms Machado was truly fit to assume the presidency, he said, “It’d be very tough for her” to lead because she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”
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Following the US abduction of President Nicholas Maduro, Mr Trump had chosen to work with the vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed duty as interim president.
A White House source later told The Washington Post that Ms Machado’s decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize was the “ultimate sin” in Mr Trump’s eyes.
The source suggested that had she declined the honour, the president’s view of her might have been different.
