A leading Venezuelan opposition figure, Juan Pablo Guanipa, has reportedly been a’kidnapped’ by armed men in Caracas just hours after his release from prison.
Guanipa, a prominent leader of the conservative Primero Justicia party, was among several high-profile political prisoners freed on Sunday as part of what political allies described as a renewed push by the authorities to meet US demands for the release of those held for political reasons. His family and opposition leaders say he was later seized by unidentified assailants in the Los Chorros neighborhood of the capital.
Juan Pablo Guanipa ‘taken away by force’ in Caracas, opposition says
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Guanipa was snatched by a group of men late on Sunday night.
“Heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothes arrived in four vehicles and took him away by force,” she said on X.
In a video posted to social media, Guanipa’s son Ramón described the alleged kidnapping in stark terms, claiming his father was attacked at an event shortly before midnight.
In a social media video, Guanipa’s son Ramón said his father was at an event at 11:45 pm when he was “ambushed by approximately 10 agents who had no identification whatsoever.”
“They pointed their guns at them, they were heavily armed, and they took my father,” he said, before demanding to see proof his father was still alive.
Who is Juan Pablo Guanipa?
Juan Pablo Guanipa is a Venezuelan lawyer and long-standing opposition politician who has played a significant role in the country’s decades-long confrontation between government and anti-government forces.
He served as First Vice President of the National Assembly of Venezuela and as a deputy representing Zulia state, and has been a key figure in Primero Justicia (Justice First), one of the main opposition parties.
Guanipa’s national profile rose further in 2017 when he was elected governor of Zulia — a result that was later annulled after he refused to take an oath demanded by the government-aligned Constituent Assembly.
He also briefly pursued a presidential bid before his party opted to boycott the 2018 election, a move taken amid allegations that the electoral process lacked basic fairness.
Freed from prison, Guanipa posted: “Today we are being released”
Guanipa had been arrested in May 2025 following accusations by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello that he was involved in an alleged “terror” plot connected to regional and legislative elections. The claims were made without evidence, and Guanipa repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
He spent more than eight months in detention before being freed on Sunday night.
Shortly after leaving a detention center in Caracas, he posted a message online, saying: “Today we are being released. Much to discuss about the present and future of Venezuela, always with the truth at the foreground.”
Primero Justicia blames senior officials for any harm to Guanipa
Following the reported abduction, Guanipa’s party accused the government of responsibility and warned that senior figures would be held accountable for any violence against him.
Guanipa’s Primero Justicia party accused the Caracas regime of being behind the kidnapping. “We hold (interim President) Delcy Rodríguez, (National Assembly President) Jorge Rodríguez, and (Interior Minister) Diosdado Cabello responsible for any harm against the life of Juan Pablo,” it said in a statement on X.
The Venezuelan government has not publicly responded to the claims made by the opposition and Guanipa’s family.
Political prisoners freed in Venezuela as ‘amnesty’ plans advance
Guanipa’s release came as part of a wider set of prisoner releases that opposition leaders and rights groups say has accelerated in recent days — though they dispute the government’s characterization of the process.
Human rights group Foro Penal said it had confirmed that at least 30 political prisoners were released on Sunday, according to the group’s director, Alfredo Romero. Those reportedly freed include lawyer Perkins Rocha, Luis Somaza of the Popular Will party, and activist Jesús Armas.
Rocha was released under strict restrictions, according to his wife María Constanza.
Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have long accused the country’s authoritarian government of using arbitrary arrests to silence dissent. Foro Penal estimates that hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars.
The government denies holding detainees for political reasons, insisting those imprisoned have committed crimes.
Jorge Rodríguez promised “all detainees” would be freed by February 13
The reported kidnapping has also raised questions over a recent pledge made by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who told relatives of prisoners that the releases would continue.
Sunday’s releases come days after Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez promised relatives of political prisoners that “all detainees” would be freed.
Rodríguez said the process would be completed “no later than” Friday, February 13.
His remarks came as the acting socialist government advanced an amnesty bill that officials say could lead to a mass release of prisoners — including some held since 1999, when Hugo Chávez came to power — as an initial step toward what the authorities describe as national reconciliation.
Rights groups dispute the pace of Venezuela’s prisoner releases
Although the government announced the release of “a significant number of people”, rights groups and families argue that the pace has been slow and uneven.
Foro Penal said more than 380 people have been freed so far, while the government claims the number exceeds 800.
Against that backdrop, Guanipa’s alleged abduction has emerged as a new flashpoint — with opposition figures warning it may signal continued repression even as the state presents the releases as proof of reform.
