Prosecutors in Venezuela have initiated a treason investigation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, as stated in an announcement, claiming that she has supported US sanctions aimed at President Nicolas Maduro following his disputed re-election in July.
The prosecutor’s office indicated that the inquiry was launched because Ms. Machado’s advocacy for stricter US sanctions amounts to “treason to the homeland, according to article 128 of the penal code, (and) conspiracy with foreign nations.”
The office expressed its commitment to “combat any individual, group, or national or international entity that poses a threat to the stability of the nation.”
On Monday, the US House of Representatives passed the BOLIVAR Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that prohibits US federal agencies from engaging in business with the Maduro regime or its affiliates. This bill still requires approval from the Senate and a signature from President Joe Biden to become law.
During Donald Trump’s first term as US president, spanning from 2017 to 2021, he implemented a maximum pressure campaign—intensifying financial sanctions and establishing an oil embargo—in an attempt to remove Mr. Maduro from power.
Nicolas Maduro asserted his victory and dismissed both domestic and international demands to provide detailed polling data to support his claim of having won.
Following the election, President Joe Biden chose to ease some of the earlier measures, yet his administration still refused to acknowledge Mr. Maduro’s assertion of winning a third term in the elections held in July 2024, which were once again marred by allegations of fraud.
Mr. Maduro claimed victory and ignored calls for transparency regarding the polling figures backing his statement.
The opposition contended that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia—who was rapidly selected to run in Ms. Machado’s stead after her disqualification—secured over 67% of the vote.
In light of widespread criticism both domestically and internationally, former bus driver Mr. Maduro, handpicked by the late Hugo Chavez, is currently navigating his third term in a resource-rich country facing severe economic turmoil, where citizens are suffering from acute shortages of food, medicine, and basic goods.
Mr. Maduro is accused of presiding over an oppressive leftist regime characterized by a systematic crackdown on the opposition.
Since the election, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia has fled to Spain due to an active arrest warrant, while Ms. Machado has gone into hiding.
For the first time this week, the United States has refrained from recognizing Mr. Maduro’s victory and has stated its acknowledgment of Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela’s president-elect.
