Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Monday that one of her close associates was kidnapped hours after being released from prison.
Following the release of several political prisoners, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado declared that ally Juan Pablo Guanpapa was doomed.The government on Sunday released several prominent opposition members from prison after prolonged politically motivated detention.
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Machado said on social media that Juan Pablo Guanipa was taken in the middle of the night in a residential neighborhood in the capital, Caracas.
“Heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothes came in four vehicles and violently took him away,” he posted on X. “We demand his immediate release.”
The opposition figures were released as the government of Acting President Delsy Rodriguez faces growing pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago were linked to their political activities. These publications followed a visit to Venezuela by representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The government’s press office did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Monday.
Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president on January 3 after then-President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the US military. His government began releasing prisoners a few days later.
Some of those released on Sunday joined families waiting outside the prison for the release of their loved ones. They chanted “We are not afraid, we are not afraid!” and marched a short distance.
“I’m sure our country has changed completely,” Guanipa, a former governor, told reporters hours after his release. “I am convinced that it is now up to all of us to focus on building a free and democratic country.”
Guanipa remained in custody for more than eight months.
This story appeared from a wire agency feed without text changes.
