Venezuela Detains Machado Ally Guanipa Hours After Release

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(Bloomberg) — Venezuelan authorities re-arrested a prominent dissident just hours after releasing him from prison, showing the limits to the regime’s reconciliation gestures.

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Juan Pablo Guanipa, an ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was detained again after his precautionary measure was revoked for failing to comply with imposed conditions. The Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement it had requested the court to place Guanipa under house arrest.

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The contradictory move comes after Guanipa’s unexpected release on Sunday, alongside other Machado allies and aides, including her lawyer, Perkins Rocha, and as Venezuela’s government prepares to welcome this week the US secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, the highest-ranking US official to visit Venezuela to date. Guanipa’s detention risks sending mixed messages from a government that appeared to be complying with US demands. 

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The release of Venezuelan political prisoners has been a focus for President Donald Trump’s administration following the US capture of Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. Trump has described acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s move to release detained dissidents as an “important and smart gesture” and that the country’s cooperation led him to cancel a second wave of attacks. 

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Unlike most recently freed prisoners, Juan Pablo Guanipa immediately addressed supporters on social media and later joined a street caravan with fellow opposition figure Jesús Armas. In a radio interview Monday afternoon, Armas said they toured several detention centers in Caracas until nightfall. Later that evening, members of Guanipa’s team said he was intercepted by heavily armed men in SUVs as he left his office.

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Speaking at a press conference in Guanipa’s absence, his son Ramón Guanipa said the family has been unable to contact him and has no information on his whereabouts, and demanded proof of life. He said the only conditions attached to Guanipa’s release were a travel ban and a requirement to report to court every 30 days. “He did not violate any of the measures imposed on him,” he said.

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Guanipa, 60, was elected governor of the state of Zulia in 2017 but was barred from taking office after refusing to be sworn in before the pro-government Constituent Assembly. He was also among the politicians who accompanied Machado at rallies across the country ahead of the disputed 2024 presidential election.

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His arrest in May came amid a high-profile crackdown on opposition figures just days ahead of key regional and parliamentary elections. Maduro’s government accused him of conspiracy and terrorism at that time.

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The re-arrest came as authorities continued to release other political prisoners. Earlier on Monday, another senior Machado ally, Freddy Superlano, was freed, according to a video posted on his social media accounts. Superlano was initially released under house arrest, said a person with direct knowledge of his condition, who declined to be named because the matter is confidential.