María Corina Machado denounces that the Maduro regime kidnapped its international coordinator

The opposition leader of Venezuela, María Corina Machado denounced this Tuesday that the regime of Nicolas Maduro kidnapped Luis Tarbaycoordinator of the international teams of the opposition campaign command “World with Venezuela.”

“I ask all Venezuelans around the world and here in our country to raise their voices very hard for their freedom,” Machado said through X.

The leader assured that Tarbay is an “extraordinary man, a brave and hard-working leader, loved and respected by all” who has “dedicated his life to fighting for the freedom of Venezuela.”

For its part, the Human Rights Committee of Vente Venezuela (VV), the party headed by María Corina Machado, pointed out that Tarbay “he has not committed any crime”while demanding his release.

“He is persecuted for organizing and accompanying to the entire Venezuelan diaspora that has raised its voice against injustice,” said VV in X.

Tarbay’s arrest adds to the recent arrests of four VV members; to that of the former councilor of Caracas Jesús Armas; to that of the mayor of Cabimas, Zulia state (northwest), Nabil Maalouf; to that of the activist Luis Palocz; and that of the peasant leader Carlos Azuaje.

This Monday, opposition member Juan Pablo Guanipa stated that, in recent days, there has been an escalation of “arbitrary arrests” that seek to “silence” those who “raise their voices for truth and justice.”

“These and many other cases are not isolated. They are part of a systematic pattern of persecution and repression,” said the anti-Chavista.

VV counts a total of 164 leaders and activists detained, the vast majority members of the main anti-Chavista coalition – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) -, whom it considers “political prisoners”, while Maduro denies that they have been arrested for these reasons. but – he assures – they committed various crimes.

Kidnappings, carried out by hooded agents without identification, who travel in luxurious vans without license plates, are the most common form of arbitrary detentions in Venezuela. These prisoners are usually held incommunicado and for weeks and months their relatives and friends are unaware of their whereabouts and conditions of confinement.

Arbitrary arrests increased following the result of the presidential elections on July 28. After hours without information about the result, after midnight Maduro claimed victory with 51% of the votes, but in all these months he did not show the minutes that accredited the supposed victory.

On the other hand, the opposition that led former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia as its presidential candidate, showed the minutes that gave him the victory by 67% against Maduro’s 30%.

This January 10 the new president must be sworn in and Edmundo González Urrutia promised to return to Venezuela. He currently has political asylum in Spain. But Maduro is preparing the celebration with invitations to friendly countries for the swearing-in that will take place in two weeks.