Jan 9 (Reuters) – The brief arrest of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado provoked swift condemnations on Thursday from political leaders across the globe, punctuated by calls for her right to free speech and personal safety.
Machado, a former lawmaker who has spearheaded the opposition to President Nicolas Maduro in recent years, was detained by security agents who shot at motorcycles she was using to leave a protest in Caracas, the capital, according to posts on social media from her party. She was freed about an hour later, according to the party.
The government’s information minister labeled reports of Machado’s detention a “media distraction,” a day ahead of the bitterly contested inauguration of Maduro to a third term.
While the government has not released detailed vote tallies from last July’s presidential election, the opposition has published thousands of scanned voting machine receipts its observers obtained, saying they show that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won the race in a landslide.
Following are some of the reactions that came in before and after Machado’s release.
WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON
“We have and continue to condemn publicly Maduro and his representatives for attempting to intimidate Venezuela’s democratic opposition. … We call for the right of Maria Corina Machado to speak freely to be respected and for Maduro and his representatives to cease harassing the opposition.”
U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP ON SOCIAL MEDIA
“Venezuelan democracy activist Maria Corina Machado and President-elect Gonzalez are peacefully expressing the voices and the WILL of the Venezuelan people with hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating against the regime. … These freedom fighters should not be harmed.”
COLOMBIA FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT
“The government of Colombia expresses its deep concern and rejection of the increase and severity of reports of human rights violations that are taking place in Venezuela in the run-up to the January 10 (presidential inauguration).”
ECUADOR PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA
“The kidnapping of Maria Corina by the Nicolas Maduro regime exposes the brutality of a dictatorship that has sown death and misery in its own country. In Ecuador, any politician who defends, justifies or remains silent … becomes an accomplice to a system that has caused hunger, desperation and suffering to millions of people.”
CHILE FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT
“The government of Chile expresses its strongest condemnation of the repression and continued violations of human rights that are taking place in Venezuela. It also rejects and expresses concern about the arrest of the opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado … (and) demands that her safety, as well as that of other leaders in the democratic opposition, be guaranteed.”
ARGENTINE PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI STATEMENT
“The president’s office expresses its extreme concern for the criminal attack by the Chavista regime against democratic leader Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela, as she attended a legitimate protest. … In an operation worthy of the worst dictatorships in history, agents of the Maduro regime shot at her guards and violently kidnapped her in front of thousands of protesters.”
PANAMA PRESIDENT JOSE RAUL MULINO ON X
“Panama expresses its protest and demand for the full freedom of (Maria Corina Machado) as well as for the respect of her personal safety. The dictatorial regime is responsible for her life!”
SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT
“We express our total condemnation and our concern. … The physical integrity and freedom of expression and demonstration of all, especially that of opposition political leaders, must be protected and safeguarded.”
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Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Leslie Adler
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
