CARACAS – Prominent Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa, a key ally of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, is now under house arrest in Maracaibo, his son Ramon announced on Tuesday following a dramatic release and recapture.
Guanipa had been freed from jail on Sunday amid a wave of prisoner releases but was seized hours later by unidentified armed men after addressing media and supporters in Caracas. Ramon Guanipa posted on X: “I confirm my father is in my house in Maracaibo. We are relieved to know my family will be reunited soon,” while insisting “house arrest is still prison” and demanding full freedom for all political prisoners.
The former governor had endured over eight months in detention on charges of orchestrating a terrorist plot, which he denies, after living in hiding post the disputed 2024 presidential election that the opposition claims it won despite Nicolas Maduro’s victory declaration.
Venezuela’s government rejects holding political prisoners, asserting detainees face criminal charges, and claims nearly 900 releases without a clear timeline, contradicting opposition and rights groups’ accusations of dissent suppression.
Guanipa’s rollercoaster fate comes amid US pressure following the Trump administration’s January capture of Maduro in Caracas, casting doubt on amnesty pledges. His son detailed a forceful rearrest involving a hood and rough transport in a van.