The head of security of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Milciades Ávila, has been detained by Venezuelan security forces, raising concerns about human rights violations in the country. This incident has further fueled tensions in the run-up to the presidential election, where the opposition hopes to unseat the incumbent, Nicolás Maduro. The arrest was allegedly connected to an incident of gender violence, which opposition leader Ms. Machado claims was a deliberate provocation to leave her “without protection” before the election. The opposition has faced months of harassment by authorities, including arrests of many campaign team members and closure of businesses supporting them. Human rights organization Foro Penal has reported over 100 detentions of opposition-linked individuals, indicating a systematic scheme to restrict the rights of citizens. While polls show significant support for opposition candidate Edmundo González, fears of election tampering persist due to the questionable integrity of past elections under Maduro. Despite these concerns, the opposition coalition is encouraging supporters to vote for their unity candidate to safeguard against potential fraud.
The Impact of Human Rights Violations on Venezuelan Opposition Leader’s Security Chief Detention
