Venezuela's top prosecutor orders the arrest of opposition leader's
ally, hours after his release
[February 10, 2026]
By REGINA GARCIA CANO
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's top prosecutor said on Monday that
his office had requested the arrest of one of the closest allies of
opposition leader María Corina Machado, less than 12 hours after his
release from a detention facility as part of a government move to free
those facing politically motivated accusations.
The attorney general’s statement did not say whether Juan Pablo Guanipa
was rearrested, or give indication of his whereabouts. The government
had released him along with several other prominent opposition members
on Sunday following lengthy politically motivated detentions.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab's office posted on social media that
it had “requested the competent court to revoke the precautionary
measure granted to Juan Pablo Guanipa, due to his non-compliance with
the conditions imposed by the aforementioned court.”
It did not elaborate on what conditions Guanipa, a former governor for
the opposition, violated during the hours he was free, but said
authorities were seeking house arrest.
Guanipa's son, Ramón, told reporters Monday that a group of men in three
vehicles intercepted his father and others traveling around 11:45 p.m.
Sunday in a neighborhood in the capital, Caracas. They were armed with
long guns and wore civilian clothes and bulletproof vests.
Ramón Guanipa said authorities have not yet notified him of his father's
whereabouts and their decision to place him on house arrest. He said his
father did not violate the two conditions of his release — monthly
check-ins with a court and no travel outside Venezuela — and showed
reporters the court document listing them.
Prisoners released
The development marked the latest twist in the political turmoil in
Venezuela in the wake of the U.S. military's seizure on Jan. 3 of
then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from a
military base compound in Caracas in a stunning operation that landed
them in New York to face federal drug trafficking charges.
The government of Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez began
releasing prisoners days after she was sworn in and has faced mounting
pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago
have been linked to their political activities. The releases also
followed a visit to Venezuela of representatives of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
Venezuelan-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal confirmed the
release of at least 30 people Sunday.
Some of those freed Sunday joined families waiting outside detention
facilities for their loved ones. They chanted “We are not afraid! We are
not afraid!” and marched a short distance.
“I am convinced that our country has completely changed,” Guanipa told
reporters after his release. “I am convinced that it is now up to all of
us to focus on building a free and democratic country.”
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From left, opposition members Dignora Hernández, María Oropeza and
Catalina celebrate with supporters after their release from custody
near El Helicoide, the Venezuelan intelligence headquarters and
detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP
Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Guanipa had spent more than eight months in custody at a facility in
Caracas.
“My father cannot be a criminal ... simply for making statements,”
Ramón Guanipa said. "How much longer will speaking out be a crime in
this country?”
Several members of Machado’s political organization were among the
released Sunday, including attorney Perkins Rocha and local
organizer María Oropeza, who had in 2024 livestreamed her arrest by
military intelligence officers as they broke into her home with a
crowbar. Rocha was released to house arrest.
“They are terrified that Venezuelan society will mobilize and
express its voice civically,” Machado, referring to Rodríguez's
government, told reporters Monday in Washington. “But let me tell
you something, there’s no going back... What will Juan Pablo become
now? What will Perkins become as a prisoner in his own home? A
reference in this fight.”
Long detentions for political activities
Guanipa was detained in late May and accused by Interior Minister
Diosdado Cabello of participating in an alleged “terrorist group”
that was plotting to boycott that month’s legislative election.
Guanipa’s brother Tomás rejected the accusation, and said the arrest
was meant to crack down on dissent.
Rodríguez’s government announced Jan. 8 that it would free a
significant number of those arrested — a central demand of the
country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing
from the United States — but families and rights watchdogs have
criticized authorities for the slow pace of the releases.
The ruling party-controlled National Assembly last week began
debating an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds.
The opposition and nongovernmental organizations have reacted with
cautious optimism as well as with suggestions and demands for more
information on the contents of the proposal.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who is the acting
president's brother, on Friday posted a video on Instagram showing
him outside a detention center in Caracas and saying that “everyone”
would be released no later than next week, once the amnesty bill is
approved.
Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president, and Volker Türk, the U.N.
High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke by phone in late January.
His spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, in a statement said he sent a
team to the country and “offered our support to help Venezuela work
on a road map for dialogue and reconciliation" in which human rights
should be centered.
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