They denounced the arrest of Perkins Rocha, lawyer of María Corina Machado

• The Command with Venezuela warned that the arrest was carried out by unidentified individuals | Main photo: EFE

Opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced the arrest of Perkins Rocha, her lawyer and the legal representative of Comando con Venezuela before the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Tuesday, August 27.

Machado blamed the government of Nicolás Maduro and described the arrest of his legal adviser as a “kidnapping.”

“The Nicolás Maduro regime has kidnapped my friend and comrade in arms, Perkins Rocha. A just, brave, intelligent, generous man and an exemplary Venezuelan. They intend to subdue us, distract us and terrify us. We continue forward, for Perkins, for all the prisoners and persecuted, and for all of Venezuela,” Machado said through her account on X (formerly Twitter).

The opposition leader also demanded that Maduro’s government provide information on Rocha’s arrest and his immediate release.

For its part, the Vente Venezuela Human Rights Committee warned that Perkins Rocha was taken by force by a group of men who were not identified.

María Costanza Cipriani, Perkins Rocha’s wife, reported the lawyer’s arrest and confirmed that she only heard from him at approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 27.

“My husband is not a criminal, he is just a citizen who yearns and fights for us all to live in freedom,” she wrote in X.

Cipriani reported on the night of August 27 that officials raided his home without a court order.

“I have been informed that our apartment has been raided without a warrant. I don’t know what they have taken and, worse still, what they may have left behind. Just like my husband,” warned Rocha’s wife.

Photo: Command with Venezuela

Reactions to the arrest of Perkins Rocha

Activist Villca Fernández said that Perkins Rocha’s arrest was carried out by at least six officials from the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).

For her part, the lawyer and human rights defender Tamara Suju joined in denouncing Rocha’s arrest and called on various international organizations to follow up on the case, including the United Nations, the United Nations Organization and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan.

“Perkins Rocha has waged a legal battle to denounce tyranny and mega electoral fraud with constitutional arguments and great courage,” reads the post he made on X (formerly Twitter).

More than 80 people arrested in the Vente Venezuela ring

Currently, at least 80 people close to the Vente Venezuela party have been arrested in recent months, according to the Vente Venezuela Human Rights Committee. One of the most recent cases occurred on August 25, 2024, when María Corina Machado’s party denounced the arrest of leader Luis Istúriz and his wife, Adriuzka Sánchez.

Istúriz is the political secretary of Vente Venezuela and was the campaign manager for the Comando con Venezuela in Miranda state. According to the political organization, the whereabouts of the leader and his wife have been unknown since August 24.

Regarding this case, it was learned that the arrest was carried out by six Sebin officials, who entered the home of Istúriz and Sánchez, located on the Guarenas-Guatire highway.

In addition, on August 16, it was learned that María Oropeza, head of the Venezuelan Command in Portuguesa, was charged with “inciting hatred” and “terrorism.” The opposition leader is currently detained in El Helicoide, the headquarters of the Sebin in Caracas.

The regional representative of Comando con Venezuela was arrested by state security officials on August 7, 2024 without presenting a court order. During the procedure, Oropeza broadcast live on her social networks.

Photo: courtesy

Vente Venezuela demanded an end to the persecution

On Tuesday, August 20, Vente Venezuela demanded the release of its leaders Henry Alviárez and Dinora Hernandez, detained since March 2024, who were charged by the Public Ministry for participating in alleged violent actions related to the presidential elections that took place on July 28.

Following the arrest of Alviárez, Hernández and nearly 80 members of Vente Venezuela, the opposition group demanded an end to the persecution and harassment by state security officials.

Venezuela is experiencing a political crisis following the elections of July 28, in which Nicolás Maduro was, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE), re-elected for a third consecutive term. However, the CNE has not yet published the disaggregated results of these elections, despite numerous calls and reactions from the Venezuelan opposition and the international community.

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