Venezuelan Opposition Leader Guanipa Re-Arrested Hours After Release

Key Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa faced arrest by heavily armed men on Sunday night.

He had been released from prison just hours earlier.

Guanipa’s family and allies said men “kidnapped” him.

They blamed the Caracas regime for the attack.

The public prosecutor later requested house arrest for Guanipa.

Authorities claimed he broke his release conditions but gave no details.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Guanipa was re-arrested for “calling people to the streets.”

Guanipa leads the conservative Primero Justicia party.

He had been freed alongside several political prisoners on Sunday.

These releases followed Caracas’ effort to meet US demands after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.

Cabello criticized the freed prisoners for “stirring up trouble.”

Guanipa, 61, was seized in Los Chorros, Caracas.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado said armed men in civilian clothes arrived in four vehicles.

“They forcibly took him away,” she said.

Guanipa’s son Ramón said around ten unidentified agents ambushed his father at night.

“They pointed guns at him and took him,” he said, demanding proof his father was alive.

Primero Justicia blamed top government officials for Guanipa’s safety.

Lawyer Gonzalo Himiob said political prisoners often face restrictions even after release.

He added that courts keep cases open, so prisoners are not fully free.

Guanipa was first arrested in May 2025 over alleged “terror” claims.

He has repeatedly denied the accusations.

He spent more than eight months in detention before Sunday’s release.

Soon after, Guanipa posted a video calling for truth and a better Venezuela.

Machado and allies celebrated his freedom and called him a hero.

Other prisoners released included lawyer Perkins Rocha, Luis Somaza, and Jesús Armas.

Foro Penal confirmed at least 30 political prisoners were freed that day.

However, hundreds remain in jail.

The government claims prisoners committed crimes and denies political motives.

The acting socialist government is also advancing an amnesty bill.

It could lead to mass releases, some held since 1999.

Opposition leaders say Guanipa’s case shows the process remains incomplete.

So far, Foro Penal reports more than 380 people freed, while the government claims over 800.

Rights groups say releases remain slow despite promises to free all detainees by February 13.

Venezuela continues facing criticism for arbitrary arrests and suppression of dissent.