Venezuela: opposition leader María Corina Machado denounces attack against her

María Corina Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, reported that she suffered an attack while she was in the state of Lara, in the center-west of the country. Machado explained that two vehicles belonging to her team were vandalized and one of them had its brake hose cut. 

"Early this morning an attack was committed against me and my team in Barquisimeto, Lara state. Our cars were vandalized and they cut the brake hose," Machado said in a video she posted on the social network X and where she shows how they left the two vans. 

The attack against the dissident, who won the opposition primary elections with more than 90% of the votes, takes place just 10 days before the presidential elections in the Caribbean country. Furthermore, Machado also reported that officials of Nicolás Maduro's regime followed her after she left a campaign activity in the state of Portuguesa. 

"Agents of the regime followed us from Portuguesa and surrounded the urbanization where we spent the night. Maduro's campaign is violence and is responsible for any damage to our physical integrity. They will not stop us," Machado maintained.

The situation was also denounced by Machado's political party, Vente Venezuela. The organization called on the international community to reject the regime's onslaught and demanded an end to Maduro's persecution. 

"We alert the world about this unconscionable attack and demand rejection of these actions, just 10 days before July 28," said Vente Venezuela.

The attack against Machado comes just hours after the dictatorship kidnapped her head of security, Milciades Avila, who was taken from his home and his whereabouts are unknown.

"They have kidnapped the head of security for María Corina Machado, Milciades Ávila. Today at dawn, officials of the regime forcibly entered the house where he was, violating all legal procedures," said Vente Venezuela in a message published on its account on the social network X.

The situation comes at a time when non-governmental organizations denounce that the Venezuelan regime's persecution against the opposition is on the rise. There are currently more than 300 political prisoners in Venezuela. Just hours before Avila's case became known, the Venezuelan Penal Forum - which keeps a registry of political prisoners - warned that there have been 114 arbitrary arrests for political purposes in 2024 so far.

Of these cases, 102 arrests are related to the team or tours of María Corina Machado and the opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González. Meanwhile, the number of political prisoners in Venezuela stands at 301.

The director of the Penal Forum, Alfredo Romero, highlighted that in only ten days of the official campaign for the presidential elections, at least 77 arrests have been registered.