By Laura Gamba
BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa is under house arrest at his residence in the city of Maracaibo, his son Ramon Guanipa confirmed Tuesday, hours after he was recaptured.
“My dad remains unjustly imprisoned, because house arrest is still prison, and we demand his full freedom and that of all political prisoners,” Ramon Guanipa said on social media after the prosecutor's office formally requested house arrest.
The message comes after the politician was released from prison on Feb. 8 and took to the streets of the capital Caracas, joining families outside detention centers to call for national reconciliation and the release of all remaining political prisoners. Guanipa was recaptured less than 24 hours later.
The Venezuelan government quickly moved to formalize the detention, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accusing Guanipa of violating the terms of his release by engaging in political mobilization and media interviews.
Cabello warned that the government would not tolerate those who attempt to unsettle the country, despite ongoing discussions of a new amnesty law in Congress.
Ramon Guanipa said his father had been transferred by plane, but the family had no idea of his whereabouts before he was taken to his house in Maracaibo.
He has been fitted with an electronic ankle monitor, is strictly prohibited from speaking to the press or using social media, and his residence is surrounded by police.
The opposition leader had been released from prison Sunday after being detained since May of last year.
Ramon Guanipa expressed his gratitude to the US government, specifically thanking President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their "unwavering support for freedom in Venezuela and the release of all political prisoners."
The 61-year-old Guanipa has been very close to Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition.
The NGO Foro Penal, which leads the legal defense of political prisoners in Venezuela, has verified 426 releases since the release process was announced on Jan. 8 following pressure from the US after the detention of President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuelan authorities have not published an official list of releases, but Cabello has assured that his government has released 896 people since December.