Maria Corina Machado told CBS News Friday that being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize serves as a message to her fellow Venezuelans that "we are not alone."

"They have been part of this huge movement," Machado told CBS News by Zoom. "We are not alone. The world recognizes this huge, epic fight."

Machado is the leader of the pro-democracy movement in Venezuela, which is under a dictatorship so brutal she has been forced to live in hiding.

"This is certainly the biggest recognition to our people," Machado told CBS News, which was the only U.S. media outlet to speak to her following Friday's announcement.

Known as Venezuela's "Iron Lady," the 58-year-old Machado has led a massive political movement challenging the country's authoritarian leaders for over two decades.

First, she challe

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