Hours after release from jail, Catholic politician in Venezuela under house arrest

Shortly after being freed, Guanipa was placed under house arrest

The Venezuelan regime sent Catholic politician Juan Pablo Guanipa into house arrest just hours after he had been released from jail, where he had been for nine months.

Guanipa, one of the best-known faces of the Venezuelan opposition, had been originally arrested on May 23, 2025 and accused of conspiracy and terrorism. He had previously spent nine months in hiding.

Guanipa is well known in Venezuela for three things: His directness -– radically, to some — in confronting the Maduro regime, his sense of humor, and his Catholic faith.

He is perhaps the best-known Catholic politician in a country in which nearly everyone is — at least juridically — Catholic.

Guanipa built his popularity on his refusal to shy away from calling Venezuela’s government a dictatorship and condemning its human rights abuses, even when others hesitated. The posture solidified his image as an unflinching politician, while simultaneously making him powerful adversaries.

Juan Pablo Guanipa.

Guanipa had been freed by Venezuelan authorities on Feb. 9 amid a massive release of political prisoners following the Jan. 3 American capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

His release certificate said he was barred from leaving the country and had to present himself before a court every 30 days, but it did not forbid him from making media appearances or leading political rallies.

Right after his release, Guanipa went to the families of the remaining political prisoners who had been protesting for days in front of the Helicoide, the regime’s largest political prison and torture center, calling for their release.

He then gave several interviews and posted on social media.

A few hours later, his eldest son, Ramón, announced on social media that his father had been kidnapped by a group of armed civilians who did not identify themselves as law enforcement officials.

A day later, after significant local and international pressure, Guanipa reappeared in his house in Maracaibo, under home arrest, with a tracking device attached to his leg, and presumably barred from speaking to the media.

A picture posted by Guanipa’s son on twitter.com with the caption “Never defeated” to announce that his father was home.

Throughout his decades-long political career, Guanipa served as a city councilmember, a regional congressman, and a member of the National Assembly – the country’s parliament.

He was also elected governor of Zulia, the country’s largest state, in 2017. But he was never inaugurated, because he refused to take an oath of office with the newly created constituent assembly, saying he believed it to be an unconstitutional body and that taking the oath with the body would amount to “kneeling” before the country’s regime.

Before his arrest in May 2025, Guanipa had been in hiding since the July 28, 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.

While Nicolás Maduro was officially declared to have won re-election in that contest, the opposition alleged fraud and posted online images of what they say are more than 80% of the automatic tally sheets printed by the election machines, showing that the victory belonged to the opposition candidate.

This led to calls for the National Electoral Center (CNE) to publish full images of the tally sheets, as it has done in every other election since the system was digitized. However, the CNE refused to do so.

The day after the election, Venezuelans took to the streets all over the country. The protests were met with violence from the regime, with almost 20 people killed and thousands more arrested.

Guanipa was one of many who went into hiding after the election. He remained in hiding until the following May, when he was arrested along with some 70 other political activists and accused of terrorist activities.

Human rights organizations and Guanipa’s family complained during his imprisonment that information about his whereabouts was scarce, and his family was only allowed to see him twice.

Family and friends of Guanipa say his faith has sustained him during periods of trial and uncertainty.

Andrés González, one of Guanipa’s closest advisors, told The Pillar that he grew closer to God as a result of knowing and working with Guanipa. He said Guanipa’s political bravery was largely inspired by his Catholic faith.

During one of the interviews conducted after his release from prison Feb. 9, Guanipa cited his faith.

“I am a practicing Catholic, but I left [prison] even more Catholic,” he said. “I left with more faith than I had before. [During my imprisonment] I thanked God every day, for everything he’s given me, for all the help, for all he’s forgiven me, and for all he’s loved me.”