Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado emerged from hiding Tuesday to denounce what she called the “fabricated imprisonment” of former President Nicolás Maduro, a day after he was detained by national guard forces while attempting to board a flight to Tehran. Machado addressed supporters from an undisclosed location in Caracas, calling the detention “a farce orchestrated by the same regime that has held our country hostage for seven years.” She urged the international community to refuse recognition of any government formed under what she described as “coerced judicial proceedings.”
The attorney general announced charges against Maduro include corruption, treason, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics — allegations rights groups say lack credible evidence. A UN spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres was “following events closely” and called for “humane and lawful treatment of all those detained.” Washington imposed emergency sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports within hours of the detention becoming public, targeting the state-owned PDVSA and five senior officials. Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil recalled their ambassadors for consultations. Bolivia’s President Arce called it “a coup against a legitimately elected government.”
The military high command issued a statement pledging “continued loyalty to the constitutional order” — language analysts interpret as ambiguous. At least 23 people were killed in protests that erupted in Maracaibo, Valencia, and the capital within 48 hours of the detention. The UN Security Council was due to convene an emergency session Thursday at the request of the United States. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was “ready to impose additional targeted measures” if the detention was found to be politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the Iran-ceasefire remained fragile as Pentagon officials confirmed a US F-16 shot down an Iranian Shahed drone over Kuwaiti airspace — the fourth such incident in six days. Rubio warned Tehran to “exercise maximum restraint or face consequences.” Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme are scheduled to resume in Muscat on June 4. Iran’s Oil Minister confirmed partial Hormuz reopening — 24 vessels transited the strait Tuesday, the highest daily count since March.
In other regional developments, France intercepted a second shadow-fleet tanker in the Atlantic, and South Korea’s new President Ahn Cheol-soo said he would boost defence spending by 8% and expedite ratification of the Korea-US missile defence framework.
Information compiled from Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, and the Venezuelan human rights observatory.