MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥 As Venezuela鈥檚 government would have it, President Nicol谩s Maduro and members of his inner circle have been the target of several conspiracies since last year that could have left them injured or worse.
Few details have been released about the alleged plots. But the government has cited them in the arrests of more than 30 people since January including a prominent human rights attorney and staffers of the leading opposition presidential candidate.
Local and international nongovernment groups, the United Nations and foreign governments have described the crackdown as a pretext to stifle political opposition ahead of in which Maduro, in power since 2013, will .
The latest arrests took place Wednesday shortly before for nine people working with Machado's campaign whom he accused of participating in one plot.
Oscar Murillo, general coordinator for the Venezuelan human rights group Provea, said officials are coordinating actions of the police, military and civic groups to tamp down on any anti-government activity.
鈥淭his has translated into greater political repression and a deepening of the policy of persecution that seeks to break civil society at a time when perhaps the ideal thing would be to be talking about the public policies needed to reverse poverty or inequality in Venezuela,鈥 Murillo said.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab has described the plots variously as aimed at attacking military installations, killing Maduro and other officials and de-stabilizing the country. He has publicly presented alleged confessions, planning documents, laptops and other items he has characterized as evidence.
Saab on Wednesday accused the nine members of the opposition, including Machado's campaign manager, of being part of a 鈥渄estabilizing鈥 plot that included demonstrations, a media campaign and plans to attack military barracks. He said two of the nine people, Dignora Hern谩ndez and Henry Alviarez 鈥 Machado's political coordinator and national coordinator respectively 鈥 had already been arrested.
The arrests of Hern谩ndez and Alviarez brings to at least six the number of Machado staffers who are in custody over their alleged participation in the plots the government claims to have foiled.
Allowing free-market proponent Machado to run in the July election would offer Venezuela its best chance of a competitive race because no other candidate has anywhere near the level of support, money or political machinery to challenge Maduro. But the self-described socialist government has barred her from office for 15 years 鈥 an administrative order .
Other members of Venezuela's opposition have urged Machado to stand aside for another contender, but 鈥 perhaps hoping that international pressure could force Venezuela's establishment to relent on the ban.
鈥淚f the regime believes that with these actions they are going to isolate me, let me be clear: My team is Venezuela,鈥 she told reporters Wednesday. She added that her campaign continues organizing across the country and expects 鈥渕uch more than just well wishes鈥 from the international community.
Machado defended her staff, stressing that all allegations against them are false.
The government has not made public any charging documents detailing allegations against the dozens of defendants in the conspiracy cases. Under Venezuelan law, court hearings are open, but in practice people, journalists and sometimes even the defendants' counsels of choice are barred from the courtroom.
Maduro has alleged the U.S. government is behind the plans to assassinate him.
Among the dozens of people taken into custody earlier this year over accusations stemming from the alleged plots is also human rights attorney Roc铆o San Miguel, whom Saab has identified as a 鈥渟py鈥 for one of the conspiracies. Saab has also accused her of having more than a dozen maps that highlighted sensitive military locations that she should not have known about.
鈥淪hould the state lower its guard and let these operations go forward, to bathe the country in blood?鈥 Saab said days after San Miguel's Feb. 9 arrest.
San Miguel鈥檚 attorney, Juan Gonzalez, said he has not been allowed to see her since her arrest but that she denied all allegations during an initial hearing.
Wednesday鈥檚 detentions came hours after an independent panel of told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva that Maduro's government had increased repression efforts against real or perceived opponents ahead of this year鈥檚 presidential election.
鈥淭he mission confirms that, as has happened in the past, the authorities invoke real or fictitious conspiracies to intimidate, detain and prosecute people who oppose or criticize the government,鈥 panel head Marta Vali帽as told the council, which authorized the investigative mission. 鈥淎t the same time, the Attorney General鈥檚 Office continues to operate as part of the government鈥檚 repressive machinery to grant the appearance of legality to the persecution of critical voices."
The panel last year reported that Maduro's government was using defamatory campaigns, detentions, arbitrary criminal proceedings and even torture to .
鈥淚n some cases, the acts of torture or ill-treatment were intended to extract fabricated confessions or false statements," the panel said in its report.
Maduro became interim president in March 2013 after the death of charismatic leader Hugo Ch谩vez's. He narrowly won election weeks later and was re-elected in 2018 in an electoral process widely criticized as fraudulent.
The country has not been without conspiracies against the government in the past.
Less than three months after his re-election, to what the government described as an assassination attempt against the president in which drones with explosives detonated when he was delivering a speech live on television. In 2020, his government foiled an attempted armed invasion to overthrow him, an effort that ended with six insurgents dead and two former Green Berets behind bars.
The latest wave of arrests threatens to unravel a political accord negotiated last year among the U.S. government, the opposition faction it backs and Maduro.
for a free and fair election and earned Maduro some relief from U.S. economic sanctions on the country鈥檚 oil, gas and mining sectors. But hopes for a more level playing field began fading shortly afterward, and the U.S. already reversed the relief on the gold-mining industry due to what it considers Maduro鈥檚 noncompliance.
The administration of President Joe Biden has given Maduro until late April to comply with the deal or expect an end to the remaining relief, which would hurt the country鈥檚 oil-dependent economy.
Brian Nichols, a U.S. assistant secretary of state, earlier this month told attendees of a Washington-based think tank panel that the 鈥渋ncentives鈥 the U.S. and other countries have put forth "have not been sufficient to motivate" Maduro to move toward a competitive election. On Wednesday, he called for the immediate release of 鈥渁ll those unjustly detained.鈥
鈥淢aduro鈥檚 escalating attacks on civil society and political actors are totally inconsistent with Barbados Accord commitments but will not stifle the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people,鈥 Nichols tweeted.
