Juan Pablo Guanipa was free for less than 12 hours. The Venezuelan opposition leader returned to prison after a brief release, which he used to ride around Caracas on a motorcycle and meet with relatives of political prisoners. Guanipa is a close ally of María Corina Machado, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Machado earlier denounced his “kidnapping.” Shortly afterward, the prosecutor’s office clarified that it was a new arrest for failing to comply with the conditions of his release, which in part prohibit him from speaking publicly about his case.
Guanipa was one of the highest-ranking opposition figures still in prison. His brief release had foreshadowed the passage of a general amnesty law on Tuesday, which in theory would result in the release of all political prisoners. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced the process shortly after inheriting power following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation.
Other figures close to Machado were also released. The NGO Foro Penal, which specializes in defending political prisoners, verified 35 new releases on Sunday. According to its data, there have been close to 400 releases since January 8, when Rodríguez announced an initial process of releases.
They took him away violently
The Public Ministry said it asked the court to impose a regime of house arrest on Guanipa, who was detained on May 23, 2025, linked to an alleged conspiracy against the election of governors and members of parliament. “The precautionary measures agreed to by the courts are conditioned on strict compliance with the obligations imposed,” the Public Ministry said.
Machado said Guanipa was detained by men “heavily armed, dressed in civilian clothes.” “They took him away violently.” His son, Ramón Guanipa, demanded proof of life. “I hold the regime responsible for anything that happens to my father—enough of so much repression,” he said.
Earlier, Machado celebrated the releases. “Very soon we will meet and embrace in a free Venezuela, and we will thank these heroes for everything they have given to make Venezuela the country we deserve. May God bless us,” Machado said in an audio message. Machado left Venezuela to receive the Nobel in December, after spending more than a year in hiding. She denounced fraud in the 2024 election that gave Maduro a third term.
Let’s go to an electoral process
Guanipa was vice president of parliament and governor-elect of the oil-producing state of Zulia, but he refused to be sworn in before a Constituent Assembly set up by Maduro that assumed the functions of parliament, then controlled by the opposition. He was removed from office.
His last public appearance was on January 9, 2025, when he accompanied Machado to a rally against Maduro’s inauguration. “I think this has to end with respect for the will of the Venezuelan people,” Guanipa said shortly after leaving prison.
“On July 28, 2024, the people spoke; there was a popular decision,” he added, referring to the opposition’s claim that it won that election. “Do we want to respect it? Let’s respect it—that’s basic, that’s logical. Oh, you don’t want to respect it? Then let’s go to an electoral process.”
Perkins Rocha, Machado’s legal adviser and a delegate of the country’s largest opposition coalition, was also released on Sunday under “very strict” precautionary measures, his wife María Constanza Cipriani said on X. “Now we advocate for full freedom,” she added alongside a photo of the two of them.
Local media published photos of a police patrol stationed in front of the building where Rocha lives in Caracas. Rocha had been jailed for a year and a half. He was arrested on August 27, 2024, amid a wave of detentions carried out after Maduro’s contested re-election.
Another Machado collaborator, Freddy Superlano, 49, was also released, Foro Penal reported late Sunday night. He worked with the opposition leader during the campaign ahead of the presidential vote and was arrested two days after Maduro’s contested re-election.
