Written By Lisa Murimi
The head of security for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been detained, according to members of her party.
Milciades Ávila was taken from his residence in Caracas by Venezuelan security forces, the Vente Venezuela opposition party reported.
Ávila’s detention is the latest in a series of arrests of opposition activists ahead of the presidential election on July 28, where the opposition aims to unseat incumbent Nicolás Maduro. Neither the government nor security forces have commented on Ávila’s detention or his current whereabouts.
Ms. Machado announced on X that Ávila had been accused of gender violence. She linked his arrest to an incident on Saturday involving women who allegedly tried to attack her and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González. Machado claimed the incident, witnessed by many and recorded on video, was a “deliberate provocation” intended to leave her unprotected just days before the election.
The opposition has long complained of harassment by authorities. Machado, who won an opposition primary in October, is barred from running for office due to alleged fraud, which she denies. She now supports González, traveling across the country to rally voters behind him.
Numerous members of her campaign team have been arrested, accused of anti-government conspiracies. Business owners have also faced closures after serving opposition leaders, which the government attributes to regulatory issues.
Foro Penal, an NGO tracking political prisoners, reports over 100 opposition-linked detentions in the election run-up, indicating a “systematic scheme” to restrict citizens’ rights.
Opinion polls show González leading Maduro, but fears of election tampering persist. Despite concerns, the opposition coalition urges supporters to vote, believing overwhelming support could prevent fraud. The 2018 election, which re-elected Maduro, was widely criticized as neither free nor fair.
