Close ally of Machado was ‘kidnapped hours after release from prison’
Machado ally ‘kidnapped by heavily armed men’ after prison release
- Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado claims her ally, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted by "heavily armed men" in Caracas, hours after his release from prison.
- Guanipa, a former governor, was among several prominent opposition members freed on Sunday following growing pressure on acting President Delcy Rodríguez to release political prisoners.
- The releases came after representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Venezuela, with Rodríguez having been sworn in as acting president after the January capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro.
- Machado posted on X that men in civilian clothes took Guanipa from a residential neighbourhood around midnight, demanding his immediate release.
- Guanipa had spent over eight months in custody, and his re-abduction has raised serious concerns from prisoners' rights groups like Foro Penal.
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