The candidate claims that four opposition activists are arrested in Venezuela

As tensions build ahead of a July presidential vote, the opposition coalition in Venezuela announced on Monday that four activists from two of its political parties had been arrested recently.

Security forces detained Gabriel Gonzalez, Javier Cisneros, Jeancarlos Rivas, and Juan Iriarte of the Popular Will and Vente Venezuela parties between Friday and Monday. According to opposition spokespeople, the detainees were charged with inciting hatred and conspiracies.

“We will condemn the government’s latest assault in all pertinent international forums. During a live social media broadcast, opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez stated, “We cannot allow these kinds of grave violations to continue to be committed.”

A request for comment was not immediately answered by the attorney general’s office.

Four activists and a journalist, Luis Lopez, were detained. Gonzalez was chosen as the opposition candidate after Venezuela’s highest court confirmed Maria Corina Machado’s ban from holding public office. The detentions coincide with Gonzalez’s positive polling results.

In a recent poll, a majority of respondents supported President Nicolas Maduro, who is running for a third term, by about 30%, while 50% supported Gonzalez.

Together with him in the program was Machado, who is actively advocating for Gonzalez, who stated that thirty-seven activists had been arrested this year, including the four latest incidents.

Currently residing at the Argentine embassy, six of her former campaign staff members have applied for refuge in the other South American nation.