Maduro crackdown on political opponents following rigged election: 'chilled people into silence'

A key figure in Venezuela's opposition movement livestreamed her arrest as she was removed from her home in Portuguesa in northwestern Venezuela earlier this month. Security officials from Venezuela's General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence forced entry into María Oropeza's home without probable cause or a warrant. 

Before Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's enforcers confiscated her mobile phone and terminated her Instagram stream, she said on her live broadcast, "I am not a criminal. I am just another citizen who wants a different country." Oropeza has not been heard from since.

"It was a very frustrating experience for us, as we had no power to do anything other than watch," said Ana Karina Rizo. "It was very stressful," added Rizo, who is a colleague of Oropeza.

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Demonstrators clash with police close to an armored police car during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 29, 2024 a day after the Venezuelan presidential election. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)

A few hours before being detained, Oropeza criticized the broad, intensifying crackdowns that have ensued in Venezuela over the past month. The opposition activist and lawyer referred to President Maduro's suppression as a witch hunt against politicians following the highly contested election.

Venezuela's July 28 election saw Maduro claiming victory by more than 1 million votes. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was seeking a third six-year term. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, has accused him of trying to steal the vote. The Vente Venezuela campaign has released records showing opposition candidate Edmundo González winning by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The main leader of the opposition, González, and opposition leader María Corina Machado have gone into hiding since the vote.

Detained Venezuelan activist María Oropeza, right, with opposition leader María Corina Machado. (The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA.))

Last week, the opposition suffered a further setback when Venezuela's controversial Supreme Court reasserted Maduro as the winner of the disputed elections. Maduro's hand-picked court declared the voting tallies showing any reports of his loss were fabricated. 

The U.S., European Union (EU), the and a slate of Latin American countries have categorically rejected the Venezuelan high court's certification. Maduro and his government have refused to release official tally sheets from last month's election.

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro leads the celebration of the 22nd anniversary of late President Hugo Chavez's return to power after a failed coup attempt in 2002, in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 13, 2024. (Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo)

Maduro's claim of victory spurred an eruption of protests across Venezuela, prompting his regime to engage in a wave of violent repression. Security forces have apprehended more than 2,000 demonstrators, many of whom are taken to torture camps. Oropeza is one such prisoner.

Oropeza's activism in garnering support for the opposition party made her a significant target for the Maduro regime's crackdown on dissent. Two days after Oropeza's arrest, Venezuela's military counter-intelligence unit released the first and only video of her. In the footage, the 30-year-old was seen being escorted off a plane to the back of a van with her hands bound by zip ties.

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María Oropeza was recently arrested and is being held in one of Venezuela's worst detention centers for her work supporting the opposition in the recent elections. (Lady's of Liberty Alliance (LOLA.))

Last week, Vente Venezuela lawyers confirmed that Oropeza, their coordinator for Portuguesa State, was being held at the notorious El Helicoide detention center, charged with inciting hatred and terrorism, offenses that carry up to 20 to 30 years in prison.

Maduro's El Helicoide detention center in Caracas holds both common and political prisoners. It is infamous for being Venezuela's main jail for dissidents and its worst torture camp. Prisoners are kept in crowded, unhygienic underground cells where cockroaches roam and human waste fouls the environment. Female inmates often face sexual violence. Most prisoners, like Oropeza, have no legal representation and cannot contact a lawyer.

The U.S. State Department has called on Maduro "to release those detained for exercising their right to free expression" and for "the will of the Venezuelan people" to be "respected." The Biden administration has expressed its commitment to uphold the rights of Venezuelan voters, but no concrete actions to liberate those in torture camps have been taken.

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Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government clash with riot police during a protest in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, on July 29, 2024, a day after the Venezuelan presidential election. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)

The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA), a global organization of libertarian women, has taken prompt action in response to Oropeza's arrest. Earlier this month, LOLA filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, requesting precautionary measures for Oropeza's release. The organization is also striving to draw international attention to her plight, calling on human rights organizations and the international community to put pressure on the Maduro regime.

Her detention has deeply shaken protesters. The harrowing arrest video, later edited and reposted by Venezuela's counter-intelligence militia with ominous music from the horror film "A Nightmare on Elm Street," has driven many into hiding. 

LOLA President Nena Bartlett Whitfield told Fox News Digital that many activists' "appetite for risk has lowered. They are afraid of being jailed." Whitfield added, "The regime does not want a violent revolution, but they do harass the opposition to deter their fight." Whitfield says Oropeza's arrest video "has chilled people into silence."

An armoured police car drives through teargas during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on July 29, 2024 a day after the Venezuelan presidential election. (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images)

LOLA lawyer Ana Karina Rizo expressed the danger that protesters who remain in Venezuela face, telling Fox News Digital, "We know activists like María could be targeted by the regime at any moment. That is the risk you take when challenging totalitarian regimes." 

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"She chose to stay in Venezuela, even when she had opportunities to leave, because she wanted to fight for freedom and for her family," Oropeza’s friend and fellow LOLA colleague Agustina Sosa told Fox News Digital. "How can we not continue our push for her release?"

LOLA is spearheading fundraising efforts for Oropeza’s release. The organization has raised nearly $4,000 toward its goal of $5,000. An estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the tumultuous country since 2014.