Venezuela autocrat Nicolas Maduro repressing his political opponents as the elections draw near is nothing new, with the latest example being the arrests of election rival Maria Corinna Machado's staffers, including her presidential campaign manager.

Machado campaign manager Magalli Meda and eight of the united opposition candidate's staffers were issued arrest warrants by Venezuela Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Wednesday. These staffers also include Machado's political coordinator, Dignora Hernandez who was arrested earlier that day.

According to the Associated Press, Saab accused the Machado campaign staff "of being part of a 'destabilizing' plot that included demonstrations, a media campaign, and plans to attack military barracks."

However, the Venezuelan government has yet to present any evidence of these accusations, with opponents and international observers already crying foul as Nicolas Maduro has returned to his usual opposition repression tactics that he employs every time there is an election.

A video of Hernandez's arrest has surfaced, and it showed her screaming in Spanish, "Help! Help, please! No!" as at least three uniformed officers arrested her and tried to wrestle her into the back of an SUV.

The Venezuelan government stated that these warrants were issued after he claimed that another Machado staffer that they previously arrested earlier this month, Emill Brandt, "confessed." However, Brandt's attorney spoke with the Associated Press and said that his client was denied legal counsel of his choice, prompting many to believe he may have been coerced into confessing under duress.

The issuance of arrest warrants against the Maria Corina Machado staffers came after an independent panel of experts investigating human rights violations in Venezuela testified before the UN High Council on Human Rights that the Maduro regime had "increased repression efforts against real or perceived opponents ahead of this year's presidential election."

READ MORE: Venezuela Starts a New Feud, This Time Against the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

Venezuela Opposition Denounces Repression by Nicolas Maduro Government

Maria Corina Machado, who won last year's opposition primary by a landslide with over 90% of the vote, blasted her opponent, President Nicolas Maduro, for its "brutal repression" of his political opponents. While Maduro has not directly gone after her, his AG went after her staffers while the Supreme Court allied to him disqualified her from running.

"The regime of (President Nicolas) Maduro unleashes brutal repression against my campaign teams," she tweeted on X, formerly Twitter, soon after the arrest warrants against her campaign staffers were issued. "These cowardly actions aim to close Venezuela's path to change and freedom in peace and democracy."

Opinion polls have shown that if the Venezuela elections were fair, Machado would beat Maduro, according to Barron's.

Venezuela Opposition Looking Into Replacing Maria Corina Machado as Entry Deadline Looms

Despite Machado winning over 90% of the opposition vote and is likely to beat Maduro if the race were fair, she is still officially ineligible to run as her candidacy is still blocked by the Maduro-aligned Supreme Court.

As El Pais noted, the submission for candidacy is on March 25, and Machado is still disqualified. The opposition is now looking into Plan B, with Machado now opening the door to alternative solutions to challenge Maduro.

Alternate candidates include Manuel Rosales, governor of the state of Zulia, as well as Eduardo Fernández, a veteran Social Christian.

READ MORE: Venezuela Loses Appeal on Crimes Against Humanity Investigation

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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