Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was released shortly after being detained during gunshots while leaving a protest in eastern Caracas, Reuters reported.
I’m in a safe place now and with more determination than ever.
Demonstrations by her opposition movement Vente Venezuela took place across the country in an attempt to put pressure on President Nicolás Maduro ahead of his third inauguration on Friday.
Machado was detained after her first public appearance in months, prompting her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, to demand her immediate release. However, government officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, said her arrest was fabricated by the opposition in an attempt to gain support for the movement.
They end with the absurdity of absurdities, lying to say the government had captured Maria Corina.
The country’s electoral authorities and the highest court claimed Maduro won the July election, although they never published detailed results. The government, which accused the opposition of plotting against him, said it would arrest González if he returned to the country. It also detained opposition leaders and activists ahead of the inauguration.
Sixteen people were arrested during Thursday’s protests. Venezuelans living abroad also held protests, according to local media. The attorney general’s office said this week it had released more than 1,500 of the 2,000 people, including teenagers, detained during the post-election protests.
Maduro, 62, has been in power since 2013. He enjoys strong support from leaders of the armed forces and intelligence services run by Cabello’s close allies.
