Venezuela Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Detained During Protest
In a significant act of defiance against the Maduro regime, María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela, was temporarily detained amidst an anti-government protest in Caracas on Thursday. Shortly after her release, Machado’s party reported that she was "violently intercepted" as she attempted to leave the gathering, with regime troops allegedly firing at the motorcycles transporting her.
Machado’s protest coincided with Nicolás Maduro’s impending swearing-in for a controversial third presidential term. Having been in hiding due to threats of arrest, Machado made her first public appearance since August, urging supporters to rally against Maduro’s inauguration both in Venezuela and globally. The event drew thousands who chanted "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" in support of her cause.
Reports from her political aide claimed that Machado was forcibly taken off her motorbike and detained momentarily, during which she was coerced into recording videos. Her representatives refrained from identifying her captors, although the event was heavily policed by government forces, including armed gangs known as colectivos. In a television interview, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello dismissed the incident as a fabrication by the opposition.
The opposition, alongside international bodies such as the United States, contends that Maduro manipulated recent elections, claiming that Edmundo González, a former diplomat backed by Machado, was the legitimate winner. González remains in exile throughout the political turmoil. In her statement prior to her brief detention, Machado declared, "Whatever they do tomorrow, they’ve just buried themselves!" as tensions continue to rise in the country. Since the contested election in late July, approximately 2,000 individuals have reportedly been detained, highlighting the ongoing repression faced by dissenters in Venezuela.
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