Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado claimed Saturday that the regime of President Nicolás Maduro has kidnapped her campaign manager Emill Brandt in the State of Barinas and that another of her campaign managers has been kidnapped and is currently being held in El Helicoide, calling the prison “the largest torture center in Latin America.”

Members of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, the secret service of Maduro’s government, detained Brandt, who is also a member of the Vente Venezuela party, on Friday night. The authorities did not give a reason for the action, which is the fourth in as many weeks to target regional members of Machado’s political organization. Luis Camacaro, Machado’s campaign manager in the State of Yaracuy, Guillermo López, campaign manager for the State of Trujillo and Juan Freites, campaign manager for the State of Vargas, were all detained on January 23 by the Venezuelan police without stated charges.

Machado stated on her X account (formerly Twitter) that the actions of the Maduro government constitute “another violation of the already trampled Barbados Agreement,” signed on October 17, 2023, by representatives of the Venezuelan government and opposition parties to promote political rights and electoral guarantees for this year’s presidential elections. Machado called for “a strong reaction from all national and international actors in support of a genuine presidential election in Venezuela.”

In January, the Venezuelan Supreme Court disqualified Machado from holding public office for fifteen years, beginning September 16, 2021, citing her alleged involvement in corruption during the “interim government” of Juan Guaidó. In a press release, the Organization of American States (OAS) stated that Machado’s disqualification “once again eliminates the possibility of free, fair and transparent elections in Venezuela.” In addition, the US State Department warned about the possibility of reinstating sanctions against Venezuela in response to the ruling.