Venezuela’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, announced on Monday that armed individuals had “abducted” a close associate shortly after his release by authorities following the arrest of former leader Nicolas Maduro.
The country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office later confirmed that former Vice President of the National Assembly, Juan Pablo Guanipa, aged 61, had been taken back into custody and was to be placed under house arrest for allegedly violating the terms of his release.
In a statement on Monday, the office stated that Guanipa would be put under house arrest “to ensure the integrity of the legal process,” without disclosing the specific conditions of his release.
Machado alleged that her associate had been forcefully taken away by armed individuals in plain clothes in the capital city of Caracas, describing the incident as a “kidnapping.”
“We demand his immediate release,” she posted on the social media platform X.
The arrest occurred after Guanipa’s release from prison on Sunday along with two other opposition figures, as lawmakers were preparing to vote on a significant amnesty law on Tuesday, aiming to address charges commonly used to detain dissidents during almost three decades of socialist governance.
Following his release, Guanipa visited several detention facilities in Caracas, meeting with families of political prisoners and speaking to the media.
In a video shared on his X account earlier on Sunday, Guanipa displayed what appeared to be his release documents, expressing his relief at being freed after spending nearly ten months in hiding and close to nine months in detention in Caracas.
In a subsequent interview with AFP, he urged the government to respect the outcome of the 2024 presidential elections, which opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was believed to have won, contrary to Maduro’s claims of victory and continued hold on power until January.
Guanipa, a close ally of Machado, was arrested in May 2025 on allegations of involvement in a conspiracy to disrupt legislative and regional elections that had been boycotted by the opposition, facing charges of terrorism, money laundering, and incitement to violence and hatred.
He had been in hiding before his arrest, last seen publicly in January 2025 at an anti-Maduro rally alongside Machado.
Following Maduro’s apprehension by US special forces on January 3, authorities have gradually begun releasing political detainees, with an estimated 700 individuals still awaiting liberation, according to rights groups.
Former Machado legal advisor, Perkins Rocha, and Freddy Superlano, a former Barinas governor, were also released on Sunday, with Rocha’s wife sharing a photo of their reunion on X.
Machado, honored with the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her dedication to promoting democracy in Venezuela, initially celebrated Guanipa’s release, praising him as a hero and advocating for the freedom of all political prisoners.
NGO Foro Penal reported the release of 35 detainees on Sunday, noting that nearly 400 individuals arrested for political reasons had been freed since January 8.
Lawmakers supported an initial draft of an amnesty bill last week aimed at addressing crimes used to incarcerate dissidents during the 27-year socialist rule, although Venezuela’s primary opposition coalition criticized “significant shortcomings” in the proposed amnesty measures.
As families of prisoners grow increasingly anxious for their loved ones’ release, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, a former vice president under Maduro, is championing the amnesty bill as a crucial step toward reconciliation.
Rodriguez, who assumed power in Venezuela with the approval of US President Donald Trump, is advancing reforms to open up the oil industry and reestablish diplomatic relations with Washington, severed by Maduro in 2019, as Trump eyes access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
