Venezuela has been leading the United States on, maintaining the pretense that they will ensure that the upcoming presidential elections are free and fair. That’s despite the US relieving sanctions, releasing prisoners and months of “diplomacy.” The Nicolás Maduro regime has also gone on offense, threatening to take back the Esequibo, an area now under Guyana’s jurisdiction, where American oil companies have invested billions. This Wednesday, Maduro mocked the Biden administration once again, arresting two high-level officials from opposition candidate María Corina Machado’s team and issuing arrest warrants against several others. 

Henry Alviarez, Machado’s campaign’s national organization coordinator, and Dignora Hernández, her political coordinator, were the subjects of Wednesday’s arrests. The warrants, issued by attorney general Tarek Saab, also target many others, including Machado’s campaign chief Magalli Meda, who has been discussed as an alternative candidate considering the continued barring of the opposition leader from running for office.

In a statement, assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs Brian Nichols said, “We condemn the arbitrary arrests and warrants issued… for members of the democratic opposition in Venezuela. We call for the immediate release of these individuals and all those unjustly detained.”