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Milciades Ávila’s arrest has been condemned by the Venezuelan presidential candidate himself. / Courtesy.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Wednesday condemned the arrest of her security chief 11 days before the July 28 presidential election, adding to the 100 arrests of her group’s members so far this year.
Machado wrote on the social network X that Mircíades Ávila, a former police officer who served Machado for 10 years, was “kidnapped by a regime accused of gender violence.”
He added: “I remind the world that (President Nicolas) Maduro is cracking down on those who participate in the campaign or help us anywhere in the country.”
The authorities have not yet commented on the case, which, according to Machado, is related to an altercation between him and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González at a sandwich sale in La Victoria (north-central region), when they were returning from a campaign rally.
According to videos broadcast on social networks, a group of Chavista female activists tried to rebuke González, Machado and their team. The mayor of the city later decorated them and the store was closed like many others that served opposition leaders.
“This act is a calculated provocation aimed at leaving us without protection 11 days before July 28,” Machado added. “Maduro has made violence and repression his campaign campaign.”
Three days ago, the opposition condemned the detention of nine other Machado-related detainees in four states of the country. In the case of Avila, the leader’s Venezuelan Vent party noted that the police “forcibly entered the house where she was, violating all legal procedures”.
Foro Penal, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to protecting political prisoners, reported on Tuesday that it had documented 102 arrests linked to the opposition movement.
“This reflects a clear pattern of actions against activists, radicals and even collaborators and those who provide services to this political choice,” said Gonzalo Himiob, the group’s director.
Maduro, who is seeking a third six-year term, has frequently insisted the opposition is plotting to overthrow him.
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