Venezuelan opposition leader Machado arrested after protest against the government

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Aides to Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she was detained Thursday, followed moments later by official denials, in a confusing episode that ended a day of protests trying to block President Nicolás Maduro in to cling to power.

It is not clear exactly what happened after Machado parted ways with hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and rode with his security convoy through the empty streets of eastern Caracas to an undisclosed location.

At 15:21 local time, Machado’s press team said in a social media post that security forces “violently intercepted” her convoy. Her aides later confirmed to the Associated Press that the opposition hardliner had been detained, and international condemnation immediately poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release.

But about an hour later, a 20-second video of Machado was posted online by a Maduro supporter, in which the opposition leader said she was followed after leaving the rally and that she had lost her wallet. “I’m fine, I’m safe,” Machado said in a raspy voice, adding “Venezuela will be free.”

Her aides later said in a social media post that the proof-of-life video message had been forced and that after recording it, she was released. They said she would give details of her “kidnapping” later.

Meanwhile, Maduro supporters denied she was detained and rejoiced that government opponents were trying to spread fake news to create an international crisis. “Nobody should be surprised,” Communications Minister Freddy Nanez said. “Especially because it comes from the fascists who were the architects of the dirty trick.”

Earlier on Thursday, Machado addressed hundreds of supporters who heeded her call to take to the streets a day before the ruling party-controlled National Assembly was to swear in Maduro for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost the presidential election.

“They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid,” Machado shouted from the top of a truck in the capital minutes before she was reportedly detained.

Machado, 57, is a hardliner former lawmaker who stayed and fought against Maduro even after many of her allies in the opposition leadership fled, joining an exodus of some 7 million Venezuelans who have left their homeland in recent years.

Loyalists who control the country’s judiciary barred her from running against Maduro last year. In a deft move, she backed an unknown outsider — retired diplomat Edmundo González — who crushed Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin, according to voting machine records collected by the opposition and validated by international observers.

González, who claimed the title of president-elect recognized by the United States and other countries, was among those demanding Machado’s release immediately after what is believed to be her shock arrest.

“To the security forces, I warn you: Don’t play with fire,” he said in a social media post from the Dominican Republic, where he was meeting with President Luis Abinader and a delegation of former presidents from across Latin America.

There was a relatively small turnout for Thursday’s protests as riot police were brought in force. Venezuelans who have seen Maduro’s security forces gather dozens of opponents and ordinary spectators since the July elections were reluctant to mobilize in the same numbers as they have in the past.

“Of course there are fewer people,” empanada seller Miguel Contrera said as National Guard soldiers wearing riot shields zoomed past on motorcycles. “There is fear.”

The protesters who showed up blocked a main street in an opposition stronghold. Many were senior citizens and dressed in red, yellow and blue, answering Machado’s call to wear the colors of the Venezuelan flag. All rejected Maduro and said they would recognize González as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

The deployment of security forces as well as pro-government armed groups known as “colectivos” to intimidate opponents reveals a deep insecurity on Maduro’s part, said Javier Corrales, a Latin America expert at Amherst College.

Since the election, the government has arrested more than 2,000 people – including as as many as 10 Americans and other foreigners – who it claims have plotted to oust Maduro and sow chaos in the oil-rich South American nation. This week alone, masked gunmen arrested a former presidential candidate, a prominent free speech activist and even González’s son-in-law as he took his young children to school.

“It’s an impressive show of power, but it’s also a sign of weakness,” said Corrales, who this month co-authored an article, “How Maduro Stole Venezuela’s Vote,” in the Journal of Democracy.

“Maduro is secure in office,” Corrales said, “but he and his allies recognize that they are moving forward with a big lie and have no other way to justify what they are doing except by relying on the military.”

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, also stacked with government loyalists, declared Maduro the winner of the election. However, unlike previous contests, authorities did not provide access to district-level vote records or results.

The however, the opposition collected tally sheets from 85% of electronic voting machines and put them online. They showed its candidate, González, had beaten Maduro by more than a two-to-one margin. Experts from the United Nations and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, both invited by Maduro’s government to observe the election, have said the figures published by the opposition are legitimate.

President Joe Biden, who met González at the White House this week, praised the previously unknown retired diplomat for having “inspired millions.”

“The people of Venezuela deserve a peaceful transfer of power to the true winner of their presidential election,” Biden said after the meeting.

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Goodman reported from Miami.