Maduro government arrests eight opposition activists in Venezuela as political repression ramps up

The Venezuelan opposition denounced that eight more activists involved in the campaign of presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia were arrested over the past days, as political repression continues ahead of the elections.

Speaking at a press conference, a legal aide for the opposition's campaign said that the people in question are six men and two women working in four regions that were recently visited by Urrutia or that he is set to visit in the near future.

One of them, Perkins Rocha said as an example, is the owner of a truck in which González Urrutia rode along María Corina Machado, a top opposition figure who has been prevented from competing and is campaigning along the candidate.

Rocha blamed the Maduro government for the detentions, saying the "harassment is not having an effect" and that the opposition will prevail at the polls, which will take place on July 28.

Machado said last month that 37 opposition members have been arrested so far this year. This latest group takes the figure to at least 45.

Earlier this month, Humans Rights Watch said in an oral statement before the UN that there were around 280 political prisoners behind bars at the moment, including human rights activists and opposition members.

"We are deeply alarmed by the arrest of opposition members, arbitrary disqualifications of opposition candidates, and efforts to further restrict civic space, as the authorities ramp up repression ahead of the elections in July," read a passage of the statement.

According to organizations like Foro Penal and Justica, Encuentro y Perdón, the estimated number of people imprisoned for political reasons is more than 300. Between 2014 and 2023, Foro Penal said, there have been around 15,700 politically motivated arbitrary arrests in Venezuela.

With the presidential election scheduled for July 28, incumbent Nicolás Maduro is facing a real threat to Chavismo's decades-long grip on power from the opposition.

Current polls show González with a wide lead, but officials and activists, both foreign and domestic, have been warning that the Maduro government will not shy away from manipulating the polling stations and resort to threats and violence to stay in power.