Venezuela’s Machado Says Close Ally Kidnapped by ‘Heavily Armed’ Men Hours After Prison Release

 

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has stated that one of her closest political allies, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was seized by a group of heavily armed men in Caracas just hours after being released from prison, raising fresh concerns about political tensions and human rights in the country.

Guanipa, 61, is a prominent opposition figure who was recently freed along with other detainees as part of a broader release of political prisoners amid ongoing domestic and international pressure on the Venezuelan government.

Machado reported on social media that around midnight, a group of heavily armed men in civilian clothes arrived in several vehicles and took Guanipa from a residential neighborhood in Caracas shortly after his release. She described the incident as violent and demanded his immediate release.

Guanipa, a former governor and former National Assembly vice-president, had just spent more than eight months in detention before his recent release. His imprisonment was widely criticized by opposition groups and international observers as politically motivated.

Conflicting Accounts and Government Response

While Machado and opposition members have described the incident as a kidnapping by armed individuals, government sources and Venezuela’s top prosecutor have said Guanipa was taken into custody again on allegations of violating terms of his release and is being placed under house arrest rather than being held by unidentified captors.

Public statements from the prosecutor’s office have emphasized procedural reasons for the detention, though specific details about the alleged violations have not been disclosed. Neither the interim government’s communications office nor official spokespeople have immediately provided further comment.

Political Context and Recent Releases

The reported abduction follows a government-approved release of dozens of political prisoners, which itself was part of a broader effort by acting authorities to address longstanding concerns about politically motivated detentions. Rights groups had documented hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuelan custody prior to the release initiative.

Alongside Guanipa, other opposition figures, including lawyers and activists, were freed in recent weeks. The releases occurred amid debates in Venezuela’s National Assembly over a proposed amnesty bill that could expand the scope of liberated detainees.