Venezuelan politician Freddy Superlano, a rank-and-file member and the national coordinator of the country's opposition party Voluntad Popular, has been forcibly detained, the group announced on X.
The arrest comes amid increased chaos in the country following Venezuela's tainted elections on Sunday, where President Nicolas Maduro and his party claimed victory despite not showing documentation to support the claim.
News of Superlano's arrest was first known by a video shared across different social media platforms in which the opposition member is forcibly taken into a car by six hooded men in Caracas, the capital city. The party would later confirm the detainment, denouncing it as a kidnapping for his role in the past elections.
🚨 ALERTA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL URGENTE: Debemos denunciar responsablemente al país que hace escasos minutos fue secuestrado nuestro Coordinador Político Nacional Freddy Superlano.
— Voluntad Popular (@VoluntadPopular) July 30, 2024
Alertamos a la comunidad internacional sobre una escalada represiva de la dictadura de Nicolás… pic.twitter.com/9em0Xc0nOS
"We alert the international community about a repressive escalation of the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro against the activists of the democratic cause, who peacefully demand the publication of the electoral results that give our elected president @EdmundoGU [Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia] as the overwhelming winner," Voluntad Popular said in a statement.
The statement was accompanied by a picture of Superlano with text that read "kidnapped by the dictatorship."
Further details about the incident were not immediately known.
Superlano's detainment follows days of increased tensions in Venezuela. On Sunday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced President Maduro had been re-elected for a third term with 80% of the votes tallied, but has so far failed to provide supporting evidence. A majority of countries around the world have refused to recognize the results.
The government's announcement was followed by criticism and rejection from foreign leaders, catalyzing massive protests across the country. So far, four deaths have been reported as a result of the repression, while dozens of people have been detained.
Gonzalez and the face of the opposition movement, Maria Corina Machado, gave a press conference on Monday declaring their victory and claiming the government's foul play. They said they had obtained more than 73% of the tally sheets showing more than 6 million votes for Gonzalez and only 2.7 million for Maduro.
Machado and Gonzalez called for peaceful demonstrations to continue Tuesday.
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