Venezuela’s Power Play: New Leader Emerges Amidst Turmoil

Venezuela’s Power Play: New Leader Emerges Amidst Turmoil

Jesus Armas is free. This is big news for Venezuela. Armas is a political activist. He was arrested in December 2024. The government of Nicolas Maduro put him in jail. He spent over a year and a half locked up. Now, he is out. His release came after Maduro was arrested in early January. Armas is now in Washington. He was a fellow at Stanford University in 2022. His friends at Stanford are happy he is safe.

Armas’s Ordeal

Armas shared his story. He was arrested on December 10, 2024. This was the International Day of Human Rights. He felt this was a cruel joke. All his rights were violated. He was outside a cafe in Caracas. Eight men grabbed him. They wore black masks. They had no ID. They put handcuffs on him. They put a mask on his face. They forced him into a car. They took him to a secret house. There, they yelled at him. They interrogated him.

Opposition Movement Targeted

The men wanted to know about Maria Corina Machado. Armas worked for her. He was her campaign manager. She ran for president. Her candidate was Edmundo Gonzalez. Machado won the primary election. She got over 60% of the vote. Some say almost 70%. But the government did not accept the results. They stole the election. Armas and others collected proof. They showed the world that Gonzalez won. They forced Maduro to delay the election results.

Repression and Imprisonment

After the election, the government cracked down. They arrested over 2,000 people. Many were killed. Political activists were rounded up. By December 2024, most activists were in jail. Others were in hiding or exile. Armas hid for four months. He moved between safe houses. This was stressful. On December 9, 2024, he stopped hiding. He was arrested the next day.

Torture and Harsh Conditions

At the secret house, they interrogated Armas. They used force. He did not give them information. They tortured him. They used plastic bags. They put them over his face. This made it hard to breathe. He was held for four days. He sat on a plastic chair. He was handcuffed. A mask covered his head. They asked the same questions over and over. They often did this in the early morning.

Then, they moved him. He went to a detention center called El Helicoide. This place is for normal prisoners. He was there for five days. Conditions were terrible. He shared a small cell with 37 other people. There was no bathroom. They had no water or food. Rats were everywhere. People used plastic bags to go to the bathroom. It was a very hard experience.

Isolated in Prison

Finally, they sent him to El Rodeo. This is a famous prison in Venezuela. It used to be a mall. Now it is a prison and a police center. Armas was there for 13 months. For 11 months, he was alone. He was with six other political prisoners. Some were leaders of the opposition. He had no contact with the outside world. His father didn’t know if he was alive. He got no news about the political fight. Machado and others were still working for democracy.

A Shifting Political Landscape

Armas was released on February 8, 2025. Things are still uncertain. Delcy Rodríguez is now in charge. She is Maduro’s second-in-command. She seems to be working with the Trump administration. She wants to stay in power. But the situation is not stable. There are hardliners in the government. They have militias called colectivos. Many people have guns. They are involved in criminal activities.

Army’s Fear and Opposition’s Hope

The Venezuelan army is not strong. It cannot fight other armies. It is afraid of the United States. They will likely do what the U.S. wants. But the regime’s supporters are unhappy. They believe in socialist ideas. They are against American influence. They feel betrayed because Rodríguez is cooperating with Trump. This could be a chance for the opposition. The regime may have lost support from its base.

However, some elites are scared. Rodríguez has imprisoned others in the regime. She removed Alex Saab, who managed finances. Nobody feels safe. Rodríguez is weak. She does not control the army. Her only support comes from the White House. But that support is shaky.

Low Popularity, Military Control

Surveys show Rodríguez has only 4-5% popularity. Even the old regime supporters don’t trust her. But she has a deal with Padrino López. He is the defense minister. He controls the army. The army keeps the regime in power. To change this, dialogue is needed. The U.S. must help open communication. The army fears the U.S. They also fear Rodríguez. She punishes anyone supporting the opposition.

Machado’s Influence

Maria Corina Machado cannot return to Venezuela. She is too big a threat. She is Venezuela’s most popular leader. She won the primary with over 90% of the vote. Thousands in Chile came out to see her. If she returned to Venezuela, millions would join her. Unions, students, and activists are organizing. Rodríguez fears Machado will destabilize her rule. Machado should wait, Armas suggests. Leaders in exile need to return. They must meet and reorganize the opposition.

Source: Jesus Armas is Free! (YouTube)