Venezuelan politician Juan Pablo Guanipa has been kidnapped by “heavily armed men” in Caracas, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado announced on Sunday night.
“URGENT INTERNATIONAL ALERT. Just a few minutes ago, Juan Pablo Guanipa was kidnapped in the Los Chorros urbanization in Caracas. Heavily armed men, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived in 4 vehicles and violently took him away. We demand his immediate release,” Machado posted on X.
Guanipa is the leader of the center-right Justice First party and part of the opposition to the Maduro regime.
While the regime has mostly crumbled after the U.S.’s stunning capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro last month, his former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has taken power, though under immense restrictions.
Guanipa’s party said that Rodriguez, among other officials, will be held “responsible for any harm to Juan Pablo’s life.”
“We call on the international community for the immediate release of Juan Pablo Guanipa and for an immediate and unconditional end to the persecution of the opposition. Venezuela is determined to change and yearns for justice,” Justice First posted on X.
Guanipa’s kidnapping comes mere hours after he was released from prison, where he was held for more than eight months.
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This is a developing story.
