Venezuelan Opposition Figure Re-Arrested by Armed Men Shortly After Jail Release

María Corina Machado announced on Monday that a prominent Venezuelan opposition figure was apprehended in Caracas just moments after being freed from incarceration.

In a message on X, Machado revealed that Juan Pablo Guanipa, a significant supporter, was abducted by armed individuals dressed in plain clothes in the Los Chorros district of the capital.

“We demand his immediate release,” Machado insisted.

According to Alfredo Romero, president of the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, 35 political detainees were released on Sunday, including Guanipa, who had been in custody since May.

Maria Corina Machado and Juan Pablo Guanipa took part in an anti-government demonstration on January 9, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images)

Reuters reported that Venezuelan authorities were seeking court approval to place Guanipa under house arrest.

The country’s Public Ministry alleged that he violated the terms of his release but provided no additional details and did not say whether he had been re-arrested.

Guanipa’s Primero Justicia party said on X that he was forced into a silver Toyota Corolla during the incident.

Juan Pablo Guanipa, opposition leader and recently released from prison, visits relatives of political prisoners near the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas on Feb. 8, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“We hold Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello responsible for any harm to Juan Pablo’s life,” the party wrote. “We call on the international community for the immediate release of Juan Pablo Guanipa and for an immediate and unconditional end to the persecution of the opposition.”

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Rodríguez has been serving as the interim president of Venezuela since the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores earlier this year.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during the presentation of the 2025 budget bill at the National Assembly in Caracas on Dec. 3, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

In late January, President Donald Trump said Venezuela was releasing political prisoners at a “rapid rate,” praising the move as a “powerful humanitarian gesture” by the country’s leadership.

An estimated 687 political prisoners remain in custody in Venezuela as of Feb. 2, according to Foro Penal.