Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa, who was arrested on Monday just after his release from prison, was finally placed under house arrest on Tuesday.
Published on: 02/11/2026 - 04:11
Juan Pablo Guanipa, a Venezuelan opposition leader and close friend of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, arrested Monday a few hours after his release from prison, was placed under house arrest on Tuesday February 10, his son said.
"He is at home in Maracaibo. We are relieved to know that my family will soon be reunited," Ramon Guanipa wrote on his father's X account, thanking the American government "for its action in favor of the freedom of Venezuela and all political prisoners."
Twelve hours after finding freedom after nine months behind bars for "conspiracy", Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, was arrested again for having, according to the prosecution, violated the conditions of his parole.
Read alsoVenezuela: political prisoners released from prison, but “not free” nonetheless
His relatives immediately demanded proof of life. Maria Corina Machado had denounced a “kidnapping”, while the Venezuelan opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in exile in Spain and who claims to have beaten Nicolas Maduro in the disputed presidential election of 2024, had denounced a “forced disappearance”.
Amnesty law in preparation
His arrest had an echo in the United States where parliamentarian Maria Elvira Salazar, ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had warned of the "very serious consequences (...) if anything happens" to Juan Pablo Guanipa.
“My father remains unjustly detained, because house arrest remains a form of detention, and we demand his full release as well as that of all political prisoners,” added Ramon Guanipa.
After his release on Sunday, Juan Pablo Guanipa visited several prisons in Caracas, meeting relatives of political prisoners and speaking with the press. In statements to AFP, he called for "respect for the will of the Venezuelan people" and for new elections.
An amnesty law which should allow the release of all political detainees, promised under American pressure by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, was approved at first reading on Thursday. The session scheduled for Tuesday for its final adoption was postponed by the National Assembly. A parliamentary session – without an agenda for the moment – is planned for Thursday.
With AFP
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