MADRID 12 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced this Saturday the “kidnapping” of more than thirty people by the forces of the Nicolás Maduro regime, within the framework of the opposition protests on the occasion of the president’s seizure of power for a third term. mandate and has described these actions as a sign of his “despair and isolation.”
“In its desperation and isolation, the only thing left for the regime is to attack brave citizens. In the last hours, more than 30 Venezuelans who were protesting this January 9 peacefully and organizedly were kidnapped by Maduro’s repressive forces,” said Machado. in a publication on his account on the social network X in which he has shared images of some of those detained.
The alleged kidnappings would have taken place in different parts of the country, such as Portuguesa, Táchira, Bolívar, Yaracuy, Lara, Trujillo, Zulia, Monagas, Distrito Capital, Miranda, Carabobo, Cojedes and Aragua, according to the opposition, who has also asserted that ” some of those brave compatriots” were part of their teams.
“My heart goes out to them, to their families and friends. They are heroes! They will all be free. Venezuela will be free,” he added.
For its part, the NGO Foro Penal has indicated through the same platform that the total number of people detained in the country for political reasons has risen to 75, including thirteen women, a foreigner and a teenager, according to data collected between 1 and January 11, 2025.
The same institution had previously reported a total of 19 arrests during Friday’s opposition demonstrations to protest the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela.
These statements come one day after Maduro took office this Friday at the headquarters of the National Assembly, thus beginning a third term that, he said, will be a “period of peace.”
At the end of July, Venezuela held presidential elections in which the ruling party gave victory to Maduro, although the opposition denounced fraud in the vote count and claimed González’s victory, supported by part of the international community.