Maduro's regime accused of kidnapping Juan Pablo Guanipa and more than 50 opponents: "This is it until the end."

Juan Pablo Guanipa, leader of Primero Justicia and one of the most visible leaders of the Venezuelan opposition, reappeared this Friday, May 23, through a message on social media:

“Brothers, if you are reading this it is because I have been kidnapped by the forces of Nicolás Maduro’s regime.”

According to him, his capture is part of a widespread Chavista offensive against political leaders, activists, and journalists.

"The criminal regime of Nicolás Maduro has just kidnapped Juan Pablo Guanipa and more than 50 other political and social leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in a vicious raid across the country."

— María Corina Machado

Guanipa explained that he spent several months in hiding to protect his life and continue his political struggle. In his public letter, he asserted that his detention is a response to the regime's fear of the Venezuelan people's "democratic DNA" and the spirit of protest that has been ignited around the upcoming elections.

Minutes after Guanipa's publication, opposition leader María Corina Machado issued a forceful message: "This is pure and simple STATE TERRORISM." In her post, she warned that more than 50 political and social leaders had been captured in a "ferocious raid" across the country.

Machado called Guanipa "a brave and upright man" and affirmed that his capture will not be in vain. "We will oust this regime," he wrote, while sending a message of support to all political prisoners.

The report of his arrest also resonated on a personal level. Ramón Guanipa, the leader's son, posted a heartfelt farewell: " The last time I saw you, you told me your plan was to vote and go to Caracas 'to give your life, if necessary.' I love you, Dad."

The tweet was accompanied by a message from her father and a symbolic image of struggle: a raised fist with the Venezuelan flag at sunset.

The date of July 28, 2024, when the presidential elections were held in Venezuela , continues to mark the pulse of the opposition struggle. The opposition has denounced the elections as a result of fraud orchestrated by Nicolás Maduro's regime to maintain its hold on power.

In his message, Juan Pablo Guanipa recalled that it was the images of those days—especially July 29, when thousands of Venezuelans came out to protest the fraud— that fueled his determination to continue the resistance. That day has been renamed by opposition groups as the "day of rebellion."

"The regime will never be able to subdue the libertarian spirit of the Venezuelan people," Guanipa wrote, reaffirming his conviction to continue the struggle from this new stage, despite his detention.