Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was freed Thursday after a brief detention, her Vente Venezuela movement said on social media.
Machado was arrested after an anti-government march in Caracas, her first public appearance in months, amid gunshots, the movement said, adding that during her detention she was able to filmed several videos.
Earlier, her friend, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, requested that she be released immediately because government officials including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said that “The arrest was a trick, a lie.
Vente Venezuela had said that Machado was “violently captured” in eastern Caracas, and that the motorcycle caravan she was riding in was shot at.
The opposition is protesting across the country in an eleventh hour effort to put pressure on Maduro.
Both the opposition and the ruling party claim to have won last year's presidential election.
The electoral authority and the country's top court say Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the July vote, though they have never released detailed tallies.
The government, which has accused it of fighting fascist plots against him, has said it would arrest Gonzalez if he returns to the country and has identified members and activists. resisted before they were established.
Gonzalez, 75, has been touring America this week and met with US President Joe Biden and the president's national security adviser Donald Trump.
The White House and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on reports of Machado's arrest.
'Tomorrow they will bury themselves': Machado
Venezuela's Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to questions about Machado's whereabouts, and the attorney general said in a message to Reuters that he would not comment.
“Whatever they do, tomorrow they will bury themselves,” Machado said during the protest. “Let no one doubt, what they do tomorrow marks the end of the regime .”
Machado's appearance marked her first public appearance since August when she went into hiding in an undisclosed location.
Machado, 57, had urged protesters to flood the streets peacefully and repeatedly called on members of the police and army – who were guarding polling stations during the election – to lend their support. your Gonzalez victory.
“I'm not afraid, I lost my fear a long time ago,” said 70-year-old retired central bank employee Neglis Payares, as she gathered with other opposition supporters on west of Caracas in the morning.
Reuters witnesses estimated that around 7,000 people had gathered in Caracas around 2:20 pm local time. In the days after the election, thousands also took to the streets.
Maduro, 62, has been in power since 2013. He has strong support from leaders in the armed forces and intelligence services, which are run by close relatives of powerful Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
Security forces set up checkpoints across the country.
Gonzalez has repeatedly promised to return to Venezuela but has not provided any information on how. An arrest warrant was issued for him for an alleged conspiracy, prompting his flight to Spain in September.
Machado is being investigated by the attorney general
The Attorney General is investigating Machado in at least two cases, but no warrants have been released for her.
The government has arrested several high-profile politicians and activists, including a former presidential candidate. This week, the attorney general's office said it had freed more than 1,500 of the 2,000 people, including teenagers, detained during post-election protests.
Venezuelans living abroad held protests, including in Madrid, where Gonzalez's daughter, Carolina Gonzalez, addressed hundreds of demonstrators.
“My father sends hugs to you all, glory to the brave people of Venezuela,” she said, her voice breaking.
