Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Thursday vowed not to bow to government “repression” after counterintelligence military agents raided his detained uncle’s home, an action Guaido called a "farce."
“If they think we are going to retreat from the path that we have taken and are going to take, they are mistaken. We will move forward,” tweeted Guaido, recognized by more than 50 countries, including the U.S., as Venezuela’s interim president.
The wife and two children of his uncle, Juan Marquez, were inside the apartment as the raid occurred.
Joel Garcia, lawyer of Juan Marquez, uncle of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, talks on the phone in front of a Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence vehicle in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb.20, 2020.
AFP journalists witnessed General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence agents being permitted into the apartment building’s car park by hooded uniformed men. Outside of the complex, Delsa Solorzano, an opposition lawmaker, called the search “completely illegal.”
“I tried to enter and the DGCIM officials didn’t let me in,” one of Marquez’s lawyers, Joel Garcia, told reporters after being barred from entering the premises. “When they don’t allow a trusted lawyer to accompany them it’s because they came to plant evidence.”
Marquez was arrested on Feb. 11 when returning to Venezuela with Guaido after an international tour meant to generate support to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Marquez was arrested on charges that he was smuggling explosives into Venezuela on their flight from Portugal.
The United States, seen as Guaido’s most powerful supporter, has warned of repercussions if Guaido were arrested. The State Department said Marquez is being held on “preposterous charges.”
An attorney for Marquez said actions taken against his client are intended to intimidate Guaido and "break his will" in challenging Maduro.