Political opponents silenced by Maduro's crackdown following rigged election.

Earlier this month, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela was arrested and livestreamed her removal from her home in Portuguesa. Without probable cause or a warrant, security officials from Venezuela's General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence broke into María Oropeza's home.

Since her mobile phone was confiscated and her Instagram stream was terminated by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's enforcers, Oropeza has not been heard from. During her live broadcast, she stated, "I am not a criminal. I am just another citizen who wants a different country."

"We had no power to act, and it was frustrating," said Ana Karina Rizo. "It was stressful," added Rizo, a colleague of Oropeza.

Before being detained, Oropeza criticized the crackdowns in Venezuela, calling them a witch hunt against politicians following the election.

In the July 28 election, Maduro won a third six-year term with over 1 million votes, while the main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, accused him of stealing the vote. According to Vente Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González won by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Since the vote, González and opposition leader María Corina Machado have gone into hiding.

Venezuela's Supreme Court reaffirmed Maduro's victory in the disputed elections last week, declaring any reports of his loss were fabricated.

The Venezuelan high court's certification has been rejected by the U.S., EU, and a group of Latin American countries. Maduro and his government have refused to release the official tally sheets from last month's election.

Oropeza, one of the 2,000 demonstrators arrested by security forces in Venezuela, is being held in a torture camp.

Oropeza's activism for the opposition party made her a significant target for Maduro's crackdown on dissent. Two days after her arrest, Venezuela's military counter-intelligence unit released the only video of her, showing her being escorted off a plane with her hands bound by zip ties.

Venezuela lawyers confirmed that Oropeza, their coordinator for Portuguesa State, was being held at El Helicoide detention center, charged with inciting hatred and terrorism, offenses that carry up to 20 to 30 years in prison.

Venezuela's main jail for dissidents, El Helicoide, is a detention center in Caracas that holds both common and political prisoners. Notorious for its infamous reputation as a torture camp, the facility is known for its cramped, unhygienic underground cells where cockroaches roam and human waste pollutes the environment. Female inmates are often subjected to sexual violence. The majority of prisoners, like Oropeza, lack legal representation and are unable to contact a lawyer.

The State Department has urged Maduro to free those detained for expressing themselves and respect the will of the Venezuelan people, while the Biden administration has pledged to protect the rights of Venezuelan voters but has not yet taken any concrete steps to release those in torture camps.

The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) has promptly responded to Oropeza's arrest by filing a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and calling on human rights organizations and the international community to put pressure on the Maduro regime.

The arrest video of her has deeply shaken protesters, with the edited and reposted version by Venezuela's counter-intelligence militia featuring ominous music from the horror film "A Nightmare on Elm Street" driving many into hiding.

Nena Bartlett Whitfield, LOLA President, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that activists' "risk appetite has decreased." Whitfield explained that they are now fearful of being imprisoned. Whitfield added that the regime does not desire a violent revolution but instead harasses the opposition to discourage their struggle. Whitfield stated that Oropeza's arrest video has caused people to become silent.

Ana Karina Rizo, a LOLA lawyer, stated that protesters in Venezuela face danger, as activists like María could be targeted by the regime at any moment, emphasizing the risk of challenging totalitarian regimes.

"Agustina Sosa, a friend and colleague of Oropeza, told Planet Chronicle Digital that she chose to remain in Venezuela despite having opportunities to leave because she wanted to fight for freedom and her family. How can we not continue our efforts to secure her release?"

Oropeza's release fundraising is being led by LOLA, with nearly $4,000 raised so far towards a goal of $5,000. Approximately 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014.