The Opposition in Venezuela Juan Pablo Guanipa was allegedly kidnapped hours after he was freed

Juan Pablo Guanipa, a Venezuelan opposition figure, was reportedly abducted by armed men in Caracas shortly after being released from detention.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has claimed that notable opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa was forcibly abducted by armed men shortly after his release from detention, heightening worries about the safety of political adversaries in the nation.

On Sunday, Machado reported that Guanipa, a prominent figure in the centre-right Justice First party and a former vice-president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, was taken in the Los Chorros neighbourhood of Caracas, the capital. In a message shared on social media early Monday, she reported that heavily armed individuals in civilian attire arrived in four vehicles and forcibly took him away.

Guanipa spent eight months in prison and was one of several political prisoners released on Sunday, as reported by Foro Penal, a Venezuelan organization that offers legal assistance to detainees. The announcement of his release ignited short-lived celebrations among family members, as his son Ramón shared online that the family would soon come together again.

Justice First reported that Guanipa was abducted by what it referred to as the “repressive forces of the dictatorship” while he was traveling between locations. The party stated that those with him reported that weapons were aimed at the group prior to Guanipa being compelled into a vehicle and taken away.

The party attributed responsibility for his safety to senior government figures, specifically naming Delcy Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello, and cautioned that they would be held accountable for any threats to his life. The statement called on the international community to advocate for Guanipa’s swift release and to push for an end to what it characterized as the systematic persecution of opposition figures.

Guanipa, elected as the governor of Venezuela’s oil-rich Zulia region in 2017, was barred from assuming office due to his refusal to pledge allegiance to the pro-government National Constituent Assembly. Following accusations of terrorism and treason for contesting the results of the 2024 election, he subsequently went into hiding.

In May 2025, security forces located and apprehended him. The recent brief release followed by his sudden disappearance has heightened concerns among opposition factions and human rights organizations. They assert that President Nicolás Maduro’s government has long employed detentions and intimidation tactics to silence critics and stifle dissent.

The Venezuelan authorities have yet to make any public statements regarding the recent allegations concerning Guanipa’s disappearance.