Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado hailed the arrest of Nicolás Maduro as “a huge step for humanity, for freedom and human dignity” following a US special forces operation. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their Caracas compound on Saturday and flown to the United States.
Machado, who left Venezuela last month to accept the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called a dictatorship, said she was “grateful” for US President Donald Trump’s actions.
Appearing in a New York court alongside his wife on Monday, Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges, insisting, “I am still president.”
Despite Maduro’s removal, political repression has intensified in Venezuela. Armed militias and heightened military presence are reportedly combing the streets to prevent any public celebrations, while thousands of opposition supporters remain arrested, echoing fears from the disputed 2024 presidential election.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described Venezuela as a “gangster state” and said it was “morally right” for the US to act, adding, “President Trump rightly pointed out how destabilising Venezuela is for the region, drug running, human trafficking, harbouring terrorists, We can’t just sit back and say there is nothing we can do all the time.”
Reports indicate that fourteen journalists were briefly detained on Monday, including thirteen from international agencies. One has been deported, while the rest were released. Meanwhile, Venezuelans have expressed opposition support cautiously, posting images denouncing interim president Delcy Rodriguez and protesting from their homes by clanging pots and pans.
Fear of arrest, however, has limited public demonstrations, as citizens weigh the risks of openly supporting the US-backed operation against Maduro’s regime.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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