María Corina Machado announced on Monday that a prominent Venezuelan opposition leader was apprehended in Caracas shortly after being freed from incarceration.
In a post on social media platform X, Machado stated that Juan Pablo Guanipa, a significant associate, was abducted by heavily armed individuals dressed in civilian attire in the Los Chorros district of the capital.
“We demand his immediate release,” Machado asserted.
Alfredo Romero, who leads the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, reported that 35 political detainees were released on Sunday. Among them was Guanipa, who had initially been detained in May.
Maria Corina Machado and Juan Pablo Guanipa were both active participants in an anti-government demonstration on January 9, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images)
According to Reuters, Venezuelan authorities are currently seeking court permission to transition Guanipa to house arrest.
The country’s Public Ministry alleged that he violated the terms of his release but provided no additional details and did not say whether he had been re-arrested.
Guanipa’s Primero Justicia party said on X that he was forced into a silver Toyota Corolla during the incident.
Juan Pablo Guanipa, opposition leader and recently released from prison, visits relatives of political prisoners near the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas on Feb. 8, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“We hold Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello responsible for any harm to Juan Pablo’s life,” the party wrote. “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.”
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Rodríguez has been serving as the interim president of Venezuela since the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores earlier this year.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during the presentation of the 2025 budget bill at the National Assembly in Caracas on Dec. 3, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
In late January, President Donald Trump said Venezuela was releasing political prisoners at a “rapid rate,” praising the move as a “powerful humanitarian gesture” by the country’s leadership.
An estimated 687 political prisoners remain in custody in Venezuela as of Feb. 2, according to Foro Penal.
