Over 70 people linked to Venezuelan opposition arrested in 10 days of election campaigning

Ten days ago, the candidates began to tour Venezuela to mark the official start of the electoral campaign for the presidential elections. The security forces have also reinforced their persecution and, in the course of those 10 days, 71 arbitrary arrests have been registered among supporters and members of opposition parties supporting the candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who is running as the second option following the judicial blockade imposed by Chavismo on the candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado.

The data on the arrests have been compiled by the NGO Laboratorio de Paz and come amid an intensification of the repressive pattern against opponents, activists, and dissidents that has been witnessed throughout the year. Chavismo has responded with an iron fist to the massive demonstrations in favor of Urrutia, who has inherited the political capital that Machado has managed to garner among Venezuelans dissatisfied with the Chavista system. Machado’s closest supporters, the directors of her party, Vente Venezuela, were imprisoned months ago and six others have sought refuge in the Argentinean Embassy in Caracas. These latest arbitrary arrests in several states of the country come after the closures of businesses in which the opposition campaign teams have contracted food services, lodging and other services.

Following what was one of the largest opposition mobilizations, businessman Ricardo Albacete Vidal, who hosted Machado in his home while she was on a tour of Táchira state, was arrested. A Spanish national, Albacete, 72, was accosted last week in Caracas by unidentified men. Prosecutor Tarek William Saab later confirmed the arrest and stated that it was part of an investigation into an alleged “sabotage against the electric system to irritate the population and destabilize the presidential elections.”

On Monday, the driver of the truck in which Urrutia and Machado were travelling in a convoy along Cedeño Avenue in the city of Valencia, in the state of Carabobo, was also arrested. After finishing his day and dismantling the electoral propaganda the driver, Elisaúl Rodríguez, was heading for a nearby highway where police officers intercepted him and took him into custody for allegedly having run over some passers-by. Two people who were with him in the truck are also in jail.

Another driver who delivered water for the same opposition rally was also arrested in the hours following the event. On the same weekend Ángel Aristimuño, a member of Machado’s inner circle, and Dennis Martínez, coordinator of the Vente Venezuela party in Anaco, in Anzoátegui state, were detained in the eastern state of Monagas.

In the tense climate in which the presidential campaign is developing there have also been 26 cases of harassment by officials towards candidates - such as the one suffered a few days ago by Urrutia when he boarded a flight to Barinas - as well as 11 cases of obstruction of public roads to prevent supporters from attending political events. There has also been a digital blockade against four independent media outlets dedicated to the verification of hoaxes. Last month, five activists linked to the opposition were arrested in less than 72 hours.

Lawyer Perkins Rocha, a senior member of Machado’s team, made a call to the members of the National Electoral Council to attend to the “wave of arrests,” after pointing out that “on their shoulders rests the responsibility for the candidates to compete transparently.” Guaranteeing a climate of peace as a condition for holding free and democratic elections is one of the stipulations of the Barbados Agreements, which has remained valid only on paper given the evolution of the political crisis in Venezuela over the last year. With the July 28 election approaching, political tension and violence seem to be on the rise.

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