International leaders demand the release of María Corina

The elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González, American congressmen and world leaders demanded this Thursday (9) the release of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was captured by Chavista forces after leading a protest against the regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“As president-elect, I demand the immediate release of María Corina Machado. To the security bodies that kidnapped her, I say: don’t play with fire,” declared González in a publication on X.

In Argentina, President Javier Milei’s government also called for the opposition leader’s release.

“The Office of the President expresses its extreme concern about the criminal attack by the Chavista regime against democratic leader María Corina Machado in Venezuela while she was participating in a legitimate protest in Chacao. In an operation worthy of the worst dictatorships in history, agents of the Maduro regime shot at her escort and violently kidnapped the leader in front of thousands of protesters”, quotes a government note, adding that “President Javier Milei calls on the other governments of the region to repudiate the attack against Corina Machado and to demand the end of the socialist regime that left millions of Venezuelans in poverty, exiled or dependent on the gifts of the dictatorship, creating a true hell on earth”.

In Europe, Italian Chancellor Antonio Tajani also condemned the arrest of the opposition leader.

“We demand the immediate release of María Corina Machado. We cannot continue to tolerate the repressive and illegitimate actions of the Maduro regime, which lost the elections. We stand alongside all citizens who fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela”, Tajani published in his social media.

In the United States, Republican congressmen also spoke out forcefully. Senator Rick Scott of Florida called Machado’s arrest “an outrageous attack on his valiant and peaceful fight for Venezuela’s freedom” and demanded “swift and forceful action” by the international community, including the United States. Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar was even more direct: “The warning is clear to the Maduro regime: if you attack María Corina, we, the United States, will attack you.”

In Spain, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “total condemnation and concern” over the detention of Machado and other Venezuelan opponents, emphasizing that the physical integrity and fundamental rights of opposition leaders must be guaranteed. In an official statement, the Spanish government stated: “The physical integrity and freedom of expression and expression of everyone, especially that of opposing political leaders, must be protected and safeguarded.”

The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, also spoke out and demanded the immediate release of María Corina.

“Panama demands and demands the full freedom of María Corina, as well as respect for her personal integrity. The dictatorial regime is responsible for her life!”, declared Mulino, offering solidarity to the opposition leader and highlighting his admiration for her courage. “My respect, María Corina. Brave and worthy fighter for a free and democratic Venezuela. Strength!”, he concluded.

According to the command of the Venezuelan opposition “Con Venezuela”, Machado’s delegation was shot at and intercepted by Chavista forces as it left the protest in Chacao. “Regime agents shot at the motorcycles that were transporting her,” reported the organization, which is awaiting new information on María Corina’s situation. Venezuelan opponents gathered in Madrid and Human Right Watch confirmed the arrest of the Venezuelan leader.