Sawt Falasteen - Machado ally 'kidnapped' after calling for Venezuela elections

Machado said a group of heavily armed men in civilian clothes seized Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, in the Los Chorros district of Caracas.

The former National Assembly vice president had walked out of jail Sunday as part of a slow-moving wave of releases of political prisoners.

The Public Prosecutor's Office later confirmed Guanipa had been detained for violating the terms of his release and would be placed under house arrest, without providing more details.

"They haven't told us where my father is or where he will be transferred," his son Ramon Guanipa said.

"I demand proof of life for my father immediately. He didn't violate any of the conditions of his release, and we don't know where he is."

Guanipa's arrest sent a chilling message to those pushing for democratic reforms, and for Machado, who is pondering a return to her homeland from exile in the United States.

"We demand his immediate release," Machado said, alleging that his detention undermined promises to end decades of repression and one-party rule, but still asserting her determination to return to Venezuela.

"This does not affect my return in the slightest. Quite the opposite," she insisted.

During a few hours of freedom, Guanipa met relatives of political detainees and challenged authorities to respect the results of a 2024 election.

The opposition is widely believed to have won that vote, but then-president Nicolas Maduro claimed victory and remained in power.

"You don't want to respect it? Then let's go to a (new) electoral process," Guanipa told AFP.

- Winds of change? -

Guanipa was first arrested in May 2025 on charges of "terrorism", money laundering and inciting violence, accusations rights groups say were widely used to silence critics under the Maduro administration.

His renewed detention came on the eve of a landmark vote in Venezuela's National Assembly that would grant amnesty to political dissidents and others.

Maduro was captured in a US special forces raid in Caracas on January 3, and spirited to the United States where he now faces trial.

His replacement, former vice president Delcy Rodriguez, has tentatively cooperated with the United States: promising a slice of Venezuela's vast oil reserves and a major political opening.

Rights group Foro Penal said there have been nearly 400 prisoner releases since Rodriguez took charge, including 35 on Sunday.

But reforms have been slow, and much of the military-backed government remains unchanged.

Rights groups estimate that around 700 people are still waiting to be freed.

US Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar — a close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio — warned that Guanipa should be released immediately.

"If anything happens to him, there will be very grave consequences. The United States is watching," she posted in Spanish.

Political prisoner Albany Colmenares was among those released to jubilant scenes on Sunday.

Flag-waving family and friends cried "freedom" and rushed to hug her as she emerged from Tocuyito prison, three hours' drive west of Caracas.

"Many good things are coming for our country; we will continue to work very hard for that, and we ask you to continue accompanying us," she said.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST