"I Won't Ask Permission": María Corina Machado's Firmness Defies Washington and Caracas

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 28, 2026, shows Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gesturing as she delivers a press conference in Santiago, on March 12, 2026, and Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez speaking during a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on January 14, 2026. Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado said on May 28, 2026, she was determined to negotiate a democratic transition with interim leader Delcy Rodriguez following Nicolas Maduro's ouster in January. (Credit: Photo by Raul BRAVO and Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)

Key Takeaways

• Intelligence agents seized Javier Oropeza, the former mayor of Torres, as he walked out of a newspaper interview in Barquisimeto, 48 hours after he flew home from two years of exile in Spain; he was freed roughly six hours later.
• María Corina Machado, still outside the country, insists she is coming back: "Society is asking and demanding my return". Reuters reported that US officials privately asked her to hold off.
• While negotiators in Caracas argue over judges and guarantees, Foro Penal counts 328 political prisoners and VE sin Filtro logs 194 internet domains still blocked, 84 of them belonging to news outlets.