Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was released on Thursday after being briefly detained, her “Vinte Venezuela” movement said on social media.
The movement said that Machado was arrested after an anti-government march in Caracas, in her first public appearance in months, amid gunfire, adding that during her arrest she was forced to film several video clips.
Earlier, her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, demanded her immediate release, with government officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, saying her arrest was an “invention and a lie.”
Vente Venezuela said Machado was “violently intercepted” in eastern Caracas, and that the convoy of motorcycles she was riding in came under fire.
The opposition is organizing protests across the country in an ongoing attempt to pressure Maduro.
Both the opposition and the ruling party claim that they won the presidential elections that took place last year.
The country’s electoral body and supreme court say Maduro, whose term has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the July election, though they have never published detailed figures.
The government, which accused the opposition of inciting fascist plots against it, said it would arrest Gonzalez if he returned to the country, and arrested prominent opposition members and activists in the run-up to the inauguration.
Gonzalez, 75, toured the Americas this week and met with US President Joe Biden and the national security advisor to President-elect Donald Trump.
The White House and US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on reports of Machado’s arrest.
“Tomorrow they will finally bury themselves”: Machado
Venezuela’s Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to questions regarding Machado’s whereabouts, while the public prosecutor said in a letter to Reuters that he would not comment.
“No matter what they do, tomorrow they will finally bury themselves,” Machado said during the protest. “No one should doubt, what they will do tomorrow represents the end of the regime.”
Machado’s appearance marked her first public appearance since August when she went into hiding at an unknown location.
Machado, 57, had urged demonstrators to take to the streets peacefully and repeatedly asked police and military personnel – who guarded polling stations during the elections – to support Gonzalez’s victory.
“I’m not afraid, I lost my fear a long time ago,” said Angelis Bayares, 70, a retired central bank employee, as she gathered with other opposition supporters in western Caracas in the morning.
Reuters witnesses estimated that about seven thousand people had gathered in Caracas by 2:20 p.m. local time. In the days following the election, thousands also took to the streets.
Maduro (62 years old) has been in power since 2013. He has great support from the leaders of the armed forces and the intelligence services, which are run by close allies of the powerful Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
Security forces set up checkpoints across the country.
Gonzalez has repeatedly pledged to return to Venezuela, but did not provide details about how. An arrest warrant was issued against him for alleged conspiracy, leading him to travel to Spain in September.
Machado is being investigated by the Attorney General
Machado is being investigated by the public prosecutor in at least two cases, but no arrest warrant has been announced for her.
The government arrested several prominent politicians and activists, including a former presidential candidate. The prosecutor’s office said this week that it had released more than 1,500 of the 2,000 people, including teenagers, arrested during the post-election protests.
Venezuelans living abroad also held protests, including in Madrid, where Gonzalez’s daughter, Carolina Gonzalez, spoke to hundreds of demonstrators.
“My father hugs you all,” she said, her voice cracking. “Glory to the brave people of Venezuela.”
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