Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was briefly detained by security forces on Thursday. After months of being in hiding, she was arrested as soon as she appeared publicly to lead a protest in Caracas. However, she was released shortly after.
The 57-year-old former engineer-turned-politician joined a protest rally in Caracas, where she stood on top of a pickup truck and addressed thousands of supporters. A large number of police officers were deployed at the scene.
The rally was organized in protest against President Nicolás Maduro’s third term inauguration, despite controversies surrounding the election. Maduro is set to take the oath of office on Friday.
Yesterday, Machado addressed her gathered supporters, saying, “We are not afraid.”
The turnout at the rally was smaller than expected, with many people fearful of facing government repression. Despite this, Machado spoke loudly, declaring, “From today, we are in a new chapter. Venezuela is free.”
After her speech, she left the rally on the back of a motorcycle. She was wearing a dark jacket and a black helmet.
What happened next is unclear. Supporters claim that after leaving the rally, security forces “forcibly” detained Machado and took her with them.
For almost an hour, Machado’s team could not provide much information. Later, they said that she had been thrown off the motorcycle, shots were fired, and she was detained for a short time. During her detention, she was reportedly forced to record several videos.
Later, Machado posted on social media platform X, thanking the people who attended the protest rally. She expressed sympathy for a Venezuelan citizen who was injured by gunfire while security forces detained her.
The opposition leader further wrote, “I am now in a safe place. I am more determined than ever to continue working with you until the end.”
She promised to provide more information on what happened on Thursday and what might happen in the future, on Friday.
At the end of her post, she wrote, “Venezuela will be free.”
In July, Venezuela held a presidential election, and there was controversy over the results. The election authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro as the winner, but the opposition refused to accept the results. They claimed that opposition candidate Edmundo González had won. Following the announcement of the election results, protests erupted across Venezuela calling for the results to be annulled. President Maduro responded with a harsh crackdown, leading to several protester deaths.
Opposition leader González went into hiding and eventually fled the country, while another opposition leader, Corina Machado, also went into hiding.
