A prominent member of Venezuela’s opposition has been apprehended on allegations of “terrorism,” just days before vital parliamentary elections set for this weekend.
On Friday, news broke through social media channels associated with Juan Pablo Guanipa, a key ally of Maria Corina Machado, the recognized leader of the opposition coalition, announcing his arrest. State-run television also broadcast footage of the incident, showing him being taken away by armed personnel.
In a pre-recorded online message, Guanipa criticized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for violating human rights, specifically for suppressing political dissent and executing arbitrary detentions.
“Brothers and sisters, if you’re seeing this, it means I’ve been kidnapped by the agents of Nicolas Maduro’s regime,” Guanipa wrote.
“For months, I’ve been in hiding for my own safety. Sadly, that time has come to an end. As of today, I am one of the many Venezuelans taken by this dictatorship.”
Since the controversial presidential election of July 2024, where Maduro reportedly secured a third term amid claims of electoral fraud, Guanipa and other opposition figures have been forced underground due to fears of arrest.
This election sparked significant unrest and allegations of vote manipulation. While the government declared Maduro the winner without releasing detailed vote counts, the opposition released their own figures suggesting that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, achieved a decisive victory. International observers also condemned the election for its lack of transparency.
In response to post-election protests that resulted in nearly 2,000 arrests and 25 deaths, Maduro’s government sought to silence dissent by issuing arrest warrants for opposition leaders, accusing them of various crimes, including conspiracy.
Maduro has consistently claimed that political adversaries are colluding with foreign entities to destabilize his administration.
Gonzalez, who has fled to Spain due to an active arrest warrant, is among those who have sought refuge, while others remain in hiding. Recently, a group of five opposition members had taken shelter in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas but were reportedly smuggled out earlier this month.
Supporters of the opposition have branded the charges against their leaders as baseless and a clear indicator of the repressive strategies employed by the Maduro administration.
“This is nothing less than STATE TERRORISM,” Machado proclaimed on social media following Guanipa’s detention.
She, along with others, has suggested that Guanipa is one of several recent arrests ahead of the weekend’s regional elections, which will engage voters in electing both National Assembly members and state officials.
Several high-profile opposition figures have announced intentions to boycott the elections, asserting that they serve primarily as a mechanism for Maduro to entrench his power.
“Just hours before a mock election devoid of guarantees, the regime has revived its political repression initiative,” Gonzalez wrote in response to the arrests.
He contended that Guanipa’s detention is part of a broader strategy to ensure that nothing disrupts the proceedings during Sunday’s vote.
“They intimidate political, social, and community leaders. They target those who shape public opinion. Their aim is to extinguish all alternative information channels and create a monopoly on the narrative,” Gonzalez expressed.
“To the international community: This is not an election. It’s an authoritarian scheme designed to protect the power they have seized.”