Venezuela: Opposition Claims Leader Machado Briefly Detained After Anti-Maduro Protest
Above: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado leading a demonstration against the re-inauguration of Pres. Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 9, 2025. Image copyright: Jesus Vargas/Contributor/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Venezuela's US-backed far-right opposition is doing anything to smear the national government and try to divert attention from the low public support for them. The so-called kidnapping was merely police officers acting in good faith to protect Machado as her driver was driving too fast on the highway.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's shocking, but hardly a surprise — given the repressive nature of the Maduro dictatorship and that drones were deployed to follow María Corina Machado — that security forces ambushed and kidnapped the opposition leader. Venezuelans are fed up with these injustices, it's time for the international community to step in.