Five prominent Venezuelan opposition figures, who had been taking refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas for over a year, have safely left the country and are now in the United States, announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The U.S. is pleased with the successful rescue of all who were held captive by Maduro’s regime,” Mr. Rubio shared via social media, adding the activists are now in the U.S. “following a carefully planned operation.”
The news comes as Venezuela tries to ease tensions with the Trump administration, which has threatened to reinstate strict oil sanctions. This is particularly important as a crucial U.S. license allowing Chevron to operate in Venezuela is about to expire in May; extending it could offer much-needed support to the Venezuelan economy.
Under the rule of autocratic President Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan government has oscillated between heavy-handed control and occasional concessions to the opposition, usually to gain political advantages or appear less severe. Notably, the main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who was barred from running in recent elections, remains in hiding.
The opposition activists’ timely departure comes just before regional elections, during which Mr. Maduro’s government aims to show a semblance of democratic normalcy. However, around 900 political prisoners remain detained, according to the watchdog group Foro Penal, and Mr. Maduro faces accusations of electoral theft. The Trump administration’s effort to secure the activists’ freedom may disappoint families of Americans still detained in Venezuela, as multiple foreigners have been jailed to be used as negotiating leverage.
The activists— Pedro Urruchurtu, Magalli Meda, Humberto Villalobos, Claudia Macero, and Omar González— did not issue any comments in response to requests. Along with an adviser to a major opposition coalition, Fernando Martínez Mottola, they sought asylum in Argentina in March 2024, after the Venezuelan attorney general announced arrest warrants against them. Mr. Martínez later surrendered to Venezuelan authorities in December and died two months later.
From the 41,000-square-foot compound, which is strategically located between the diplomatic residences of Russia and North Korea, the activists and key aides to Ms. Machado’s party orchestrated one of the most significant presidential campaigns in the nation’s history. Despite severe restrictions on their freedom, the officials managed to mobilize voters and monitors to verify the results, which showed their candidate, Edmundo González, winning the election in a landslide. The United States and numerous other countries have refused to acknowledge Mr. Maduro’s claimed victory.
On election night, Mr. Maduro announced his victory without any evidence, while monitors documented that Mr. González won the race. Following this, Mr. Maduro expelled Argentine diplomats, and Brazil took over embassy duties. The post-election crackdown has silenced many Venezuelans, and Mr. González fled to Spain. Ms. Machado, in hiding, expressed her gratitude on social media for securing the freedom of her aides.
The activists mentioned they lived in a state of persistent anxiety. Since the July election, Venezuelan authorities frequently appeared outside the embassy in protective gear, sometimes disrupting access to basic amenities before restoring them. In August, Mr. González, aged 75, shared hisPreparedness to escape to avoid capture.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/world/americas/venezuela-opposition-argentina-embassy-maduro.html
