Venezuelan opposition candidate says his brother-in-law was kidnapped

The man widely considered the real winner of Venezuela’s tainted presidential election said Tuesday that his brother-in-law had been kidnapped by masked men in the capital, Caracas.

Edmundo Gonzalez said his brother-in-law, Rafael Todares, was accompanying Mr. Gonzalez’s grandchildren to school when he was “accosted” by masked men dressed in black and taken away in a gold truck.

“At this time he is missing” Written on X.

The reported kidnapping comes a day after Mr. Gonzalez met at the White House with President Biden, whose administration recognizes Mr. Gonzalez as president-elect, in an attempt to put international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, the longtime authoritarian leader who claims he won. Venezuela’s elections in July

Maduro’s government, on Monday, In a statementHe described the meeting as “a flagrant violation of international law and a blatant attempt to perpetuate imperialist interference in Latin America.”

Mr Gonzalez, 75, was forced to flee the country shortly after millions of Venezuelans voted for him, and now lives in exile in Spain. He repeatedly promised to return to his country to be sworn in on Friday, when Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is scheduled to be inaugurated for another six-year term.

Maduro’s government has imposed a $100,000 reward for information on Mr. Gonzalez, and he is likely to face arrest if he returns.

The Venezuelan government has launched a wave of repression against anyone who challenges its declared victory, arresting about 2,000 people and charging most of them with terrorism. Human rights groups have described it as the most brutal crackdown in Venezuela in recent decades.

The government has released hundreds of these prisoners in recent months, in what many analysts see as a signal to President-elect Donald J. Trump that it is willing to water down human rights in exchange for preferential treatment.