President-elect Donald Trump issued a warning ahead of his inauguration Disputed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Who assumed the high position for a third term on Friday.
Despite significant opposition at home and abroad to the July elections in which Maduro declared victory without providing proof of a ballot box, the Venezuelan leader, whom US lawmakers consider a “dictator,” is now scheduled to hold office until 2031.
Thursday, Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado They emerged after months in hiding to join hundreds of anti-Maduro protesters in the capital, Caracas, and demand that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez be sworn in instead.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed re-election. Maduro banned social media network X from Venezuela for 10 days after his opponents accused it of fomenting post-election unrest. (AP Photo/Mathias Delacroix, File)
Americans arrested in Venezuela on the eve of Maduro's inauguration over “terrorism” allegations
The Associated Press reported that government security forces briefly detained Machado after they “violently intercepted” her convoy as it attempted to leave the protests.
Trump took to social media to demand that they stay “safe and alive.”
“Venezuelan democracy activist Maria Corina Machado and President-elect Gonzalez peacefully express the voices and will of the Venezuelan people with hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating against the regime,” he wrote. “These freedom fighters should not be harmed, and must remain safe and alive.”
It appears that the opposition figure was forced to record several videos before being released, although… The details of these recordings are still unclear.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, January 9, 2025, the day before he is inaugurated for a third term. (AP Photo/Ariana Cobios)
Thousands of Venezuelan opposition supporters take to the streets ahead of Maduro III's inauguration
Maduro supporters reportedly denied Machado's arrest.
On Friday, the Biden administration supported the efforts of opposition leaders, and according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, “President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia must be sworn in, and the democratic transition must begin.”
“Today, Nicolas Maduro conducted an illegal presidential inauguration in Venezuela in a desperate attempt to seize power. The Venezuelan people and the world know the truth – Maduro clearly lost the 2024 presidential election and has no right to claim the presidency,” the minister said in a statement. statement. “The United States rejects the National Electoral Council’s false declaration of Maduro’s victory in the presidential elections and does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as President of Venezuela.
“We stand ready to support a return to democracy in Venezuela,” Blinken added.
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday imposed a new round of sanctions on the Maduro regime, this time targeting “officials who lead key economic and security agencies that enable Nicolas Maduro's repression and suppression.” Subverting democracy in Venezuela“.
Eight officials were named in the sanctions, including the recently appointed head of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, Hector Obregon, as well as the country's transportation minister, Ramon Velasquez, according to a statement from the ministry.
“In addition, OFAC is imposing sanctions on high-ranking Venezuelan military and police officials who lead entities with roles in implementing Maduro’s repression and human rights violations against democratic actors,” the statement said.
A Venezuelan opposition supporter reacts as he gathers with fellow supporters before the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 9, 2025. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
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Maduro was again targeted by Washington's sanctions, and the reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction was increased to $25 million.
The same amount was offered to Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, in addition to a reward of $15 million to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.
The names of members of the army and police were also mentioned in the sanctions.
Blinken confirmed on Friday that about 2,000 individuals allied with Maduro have had visa restrictions imposed.
