Yesterday, opposition leader María Corina Machado reiterated that the "first step" towards a "genuine transition to democracy in Venezuela" is the release of "every political prisoner" in the Caribbean country, such as Rafael Tudares, a "hero" and son-in-law of Edmundo González. Machado made the statement on her X account on the anniversary of Tudares' detention, which took place three days before Nicolás Maduro's inauguration in 2025. Rafael is in forced disappearance. "Mariana, his wife, and the entire family have spent 365 days of anguish and desperation without being able to see him or hear from him," Machado wrote on social media. She added: "Venezuela and the world know that Rafael is a hero, that they kidnapped him in an attempt to break a brave family that has remained firm in defending the will of all Venezuelans." "The freedom of Rafael and every political prisoner is our absolute priority and is the first step for a genuine transition to democracy in Venezuela," Machado concluded.
