In a televised press conference, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello showed a video of the arrest of opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa. Photo: Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace.
Guacamaya, May 23, 2025. The Venezuelan government has announced the arrest of more than 50 people for allegedly preparing a violent plan to disrupt the elections on May 25. Among them is Juan Pablo Guanipa, a leader of the opposition party Primero Justicia.
President Nicolás Maduro reported on Thursday that over 50 individuals had been apprehended for their alleged involvement in a plot that included “planting bombs” and carrying out violent attacks to disrupt Sunday’s legislative and regional elections.
Maduro described the detainees as “mercenaries” and linked the operation to groups he considers “fascist.” Meanwhile, several human rights organizations have expressed concern over the increasing arrests targeting activists, union leaders, and government opponents.
During a televised appearance on Friday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated that the number of detainees in connection with the alleged election sabotage plot had risen to 70. Among those arrested, he specified, were citizens of various nationalities: an Argentine, four Pakistanis, a Serbian with a Bulgarian passport, and a Venezuelan with dual Spanish citizenship.
According to the government, as of Monday, 38 people had been detained on accusations of being “mercenaries,” including 17 foreigners and 21 Venezuelans. Cabello added that the alleged plot included attacks on embassies, electrical facilities, hospitals, gas stations, and police stations. He also claimed that threats had been made against candidates from both the ruling party and the opposition.
Cabello had previously announced the suspension of all flights from Colombia until May 26, citing the alleged arrival of mercenaries from Colombia, as well as from Mexico and Ukraine.
Among this week’s detainees is opposition former lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa, a political ally of María Corina Machado. Guanipa was arrested on Friday, accused of being part of a “terrorist group” planning actions against the electoral process. The arrest was confirmed through a video released by the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace, showing him being detained by police officers. In a message posted on his X account after his arrest, Guanipa declared himself “unjustly imprisoned, but never defeated.”
Meanwhile, organizations such as PROVEA and Foro Penal have denounced the rise in arrests targeting activists and union leaders, coinciding with an electoral process already marked by heavy military control and heightened tensions with the United States. This tension escalated further after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision not to renew oil company Chevron’s license after May 27.
