The Maduro regime kidnapped Venezuelan opposition leader Freddy Superlano in Caracas

Opposition leader Freddy Superlano was arrested on Tuesday by Venezuelan authorities along with two of his collaborators, his party Voluntad Popular (VP) denounced, warning of an “escalation of repression” amid protests against the reelection of Nicolás Maduro.

“We must responsibly denounce to the country that just a few minutes ago our national political coordinator Freddy Superlano was kidnapped,” said the VP party in X, which accompanied the message with a video in which the moment in which he is forcibly put into a vehicle by officials dressed in black can be seen.

The footage also includes boos and shouts from people protesting the arrest of the anti-Chavez activist and his companions, which took place in the Sebucan residential area of ​​Caracas.

In its message on X, Voluntad Popular warned the international community about “an escalation of repression” by the Maduro regime.

“We alert the international community about an escalation of repression by the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro against activists of the democratic cause, who peacefully demand the publication of the electoral results that OVERWHELMINGLY declare our elected president Edmundo González the winner,” wrote the party, which is part of the Democratic Unity Platform (PUD) led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia.

Superlano was a member of the National Assembly (AN) that won the 2015 legislative elections, whose term extended from 2016, when Parliament was installed, until 2021.

The opposition leader was a candidate in the 2021 regional elections for the state of Barinas – birthplace of Hugo Chávez – which he won by a narrow margin, a result that was annulled on the grounds that the anti-Chavez candidate was disqualified, a version that raised doubts, since Superlano had been able to register with the National Electoral Council (CNE) to compete in the elections.

The elections were repeated by order of the competent authorities, and the opposition won again, this time with the candidate Sergio Garrido, current governor of the State, traditionally a Chavista.

Following Superlano’s arrest, a video from early July circulated again in which Diosdado Cabello, first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), threatened to arrest a leader with the initials FS for “hate speech,” a threat that was at the time interpreted as being directed at Superlano.

Diosdado Cabello’s threat to an opposition leader with initials FS

The reasons for his arrest are currently unknown and no official from the regime has commented on the incident.

The opposition also denounced the kidnapping of Ricardo Estévez, a technician for María Corina Machado’s party, by the task forces of Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The episode occurred in the morning, shortly after 10 a.m., when the Vente Venezuela dissident was leaving his house in El Cafetal, in Caracas.

This is how agents of the Chavista regime kidnapped Ricardo Estévez, a technician from María Corina Machado’s party

According to security cameras at the residence, he was intercepted by two black vans without license plates, which took him out of his vehicle and took him into custody without giving any explanation.

At least one person died during a demonstration in the state of Maracay

Superlano’s arrest comes amid heightened tensions in Venezuela. New protests were expected on Tuesday after four people died and dozens were injured when authorities broke up protests against Maduro’s declaration of victory in elections deemed fraudulent.

Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday at angry protesters challenging official results, which have been questioned by the opposition and neighbouring countries.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of several neighborhoods in the capital, Caracas, chanting “Freedom, freedom!” and “This government is going to fall!”

Some tore down and burned Maduro campaign posters, while at least two statues of Hugo Chavez – the late authoritarian socialist who led Venezuela for more than a decade and appointed Maduro as his successor – were torn down by protesters.

A group of protesters destroyed a tribute to the former Venezuelan president after the fraud perpetrated by Nicolás Maduro

In addition to the dead, 44 people were injured, according to the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the country’s hospitals.

Two of the dead were in Aragua state and one in Caracas, the network said. The NGO Foro Penal reported one more death in the northwestern state of Yaracuy.

Independent polls had predicted Maduro would lose Sunday’s vote.

Maduro has been at the helm of the once oil-rich country since 2013. Amid U.S. sanctions and economic mismanagement, GDP has fallen by 80% over the past decade, pushing more than seven million of Venezuela’s 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of growing authoritarianism.

On the eve of the election, he warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost the election.