Arrest Ahead of Crucial Venezuelan Election Sparks Outrage

Officials in Venezuela have detained Milciades Ávila, the head of security for opposition leader María Corina Machado, just over a week before President Nicolás Maduro faces a challenging reelection bid. Machado, a former lawmaker, described the charges of violence against women as spurious, stemming from a heated altercation with Maduro supporters at a roadside restaurant over the weekend.

Machado, who was barred from running against Maduro following an opposition-organized primary, is traveling across Venezuela to support her chosen candidate, Edmundo González, a retired diplomat.

''Ávila has accompanied me throughout the country, risking his life to protect me,'' Machado shared on social media platform X. She called for international attention to what she described as increasing repression by Maduro. The Venezuelan government has yet to comment on the arrest. Machado noted that at least eight members of her campaign team have been detained recently, including the owner of a rally sound truck.

(With inputs from agencies.)