Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has reported that her colleague Juan Pablo Guanipa has been kidnapped just hours after his release from detention. The leader of the Justice First party was taken in the Los Chorros neighborhood of Caracas.
According to Machado, heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothing arrived in four vehicles and forcibly took Guanipa away. This situation arises amid heightened tensions in Venezuela, where members of the opposition frequently face repression.
Guanipa, a former vice-president of the National Assembly, had previously spent eight months in prison and was released among several political prisoners by the regime. His party has accused the government of kidnapping him and pointed fingers at high-ranking officials, demanding the immediate intervention of the international community.
Upon hearing the news of his kidnapping, Guanipa's son, Ramón, took to social media to express his fears for his father's safety and to demand proof of his father's well-being.
This incident further underscores the Venezuelan government's ongoing use of detentions and intimidation tactics to quell dissent among political rivals and maintain control amid growing unrest.
