Politics
Venezuela: Persecution continues as two other members of María Corina Machado's party are arrested
The detainees were Henry Alviarez and Dignora Hernández, which brings to eight the number of leaders working for Machado's presidential candidacy who have been detained
March 21, 2024 6:44pm
Updated: March 22, 2024 10:37pm
Looking ahead to the presidential elections on July 28, Nicolás Maduro's regime has not ceased its persecution of the Venezuelan opposition. The dictatorship recently arrested two other members of María Corina Machado’s campaign team.
The detainees were Henry Alviarez and Dignora Hernández, escalating the number of leaders working for Machado's presidential candidacy who have been detained to eight.
A shocking video spread on social networks shows the moment in which officials from the Criminal Investigations Division (DIP) of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) forcibly take Hernández away in a van.
“Auxilio, por favor, por favor, no”, se escucha gritar a Hernández al momento del arresto.
La dictadura de Nicolas Maduro profundiza la represión en Venezuela y arremete contra los integrantes del equipo de campaña de la candidata y líder opositora @MariaCorinaYA
— Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) March 20, 2024
Hace pocos minutos, Dignora Hernández, diputada de la Asamblea Nacional y miembro directivo Nacional del… pic.twitter.com/5wxZoHelOQ
“Help, please, please, no!” Hernández is heard shouting at the time of the arrest.
The dictatorship's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, confirmed the arrests.
“These two people have been arrested in relation to everything that Emill Brandt Ulloa has confessed,” he said at a press conference, after presenting an alleged self-incriminating video of María Corina Machado's campaign manager, arrested on March 8.
“Now don't come and say that they were both pacifists who were marching with a flower in Plaza Bolívar. Quite the opposite (...) Is the office of the U.N. High Commissioner or the NGOs financed by USAID with millions of dollars now going to come out and say that these people detained with an arrest warrant, are they going to say that they are “forced disappearances?” he added.
Minutes after the arrests of Alviarez and Hernández, María Corina Machado spoke out through a message on her X account, formerly known as Twitter.
“The Maduro regime unleashes brutal repression against my campaign teams. He arrested Henry Alviarez, national coordinator of Organization of my Campaign Command; and Dignora Hernández, political coordinator. In addition, he has issued arrest warrants against several other members of the National Command, including my Campaign Chief, Magalli Meda,” she wrote.
Machado described the actions as “cowardly” and stated that these events “intend to close Venezuela's path towards change and freedom in peace and democracy.”
“Venezuelans, I ask you for strength and courage in these difficult times. Today, more than ever, we need to be united and firm to continue moving towards our objectives," he urged.
Machado's party, Vente Venezuela, has demanded from the regime a “faith of life” from coordinator Hernández.
“We demand proof of life from Tarek William Saab from our political secretary Dignora Hernández. Where is? Dignora is hypertensive, has severe allergic processes and uses special medications,” the opposition party noted.
¡A Tarek William Saab le exigimos fe de vida de nuestra Secretaria Política Dignora Hernández!
— Vente Venezuela (@VenteVenezuela) March 21, 2024
¿Dónde está? Dignora es hipertensa, tiene procesos alérgicos severos y usa medicamentos especiales.#MaduroRepresor pic.twitter.com/7sur5HeF9J
