The de facto winner of Venezuela's presidential election said Tuesday that his son-in-law had been kidnapped by hooded men in the capital, Caracas.
Edmundo Gonzalez said his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was taking Mr. Gonzalez's grandchildren to school when they were “cut off” by hooded men dressed in black and taken away in a gold van.
“He's missing now” He wrote in X.
The abduction reportedly came a day after Mr. Gonzalez's administration met at the White House with President Biden, whose administration has recognized Mr. Gonzalez as president-elect in an effort to put international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, the longtime authoritarian leader he claims to have won. July elections in Venezuela.
Maduro's government on Monday, in the statementcalled the meeting “a flagrant violation of international law and a flagrant attempt to continue imperialist intervention in Latin America.”
Mr. González, 75, was forced to leave the country shortly after millions of Venezuelans voted for him and now lives in exile in Spain. He has repeatedly promised to return to his country to be sworn in on Friday, when Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, is scheduled to be inaugurated for another six-year term.
Maduro's government has placed a $100,000 reward on Mr. Gonzalez, and he is likely to be jailed if he returns.
The Venezuelan government unleashed a wave of repression against anyone who protested his declared victory, arresting nearly 2,000 people and charging most with terrorism. Human rights groups have described it as Venezuela's most brutal campaign of repression in decades.
The government has released hundreds of prisoners in recent months, which many analysts see as a signal that it is willing to compromise human rights in exchange for favorable treatment of President-elect Donald J. Trump.