Maduro’s government offers reward for locating exiled opposition candidate | News about Nicolas Maduro

The Human Rights Commission calls on the Venezuelan government to respect civil liberties as the presidential term approaches.

Government of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced a $100,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of exiled opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

Thursday’s announcement comes eight days before Maduro is to be sworn in for a third term, following disputed presidential elections in July.

In the months since the vote, Maduro’s government has issued warrant for Gonzalez, his rival in the race.

“A $100,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides information on their location,” the state’s Agency for Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigations said in an Instagram post Thursday.

The post framed a “wanted” poster-style photo of Gonzalez.

Maduro’s government claimed the president had won his re-election bid, but refused to release the usual analysis of voter counts that monitor elections.

Meanwhile, the opposition accused Maduro of electoral fraud and said yes González was a real winner. He released what appeared to be electoral rolls showing Gonzalez beating Maduro by a two-to-one margin.

Regional leaders also cast doubt on Maduro’s victory claims, asking the government to release voter data that could confirm the results.

The government has yet to do so, and Gonzalez has left the country for Spain after the September arrest warrant.

He previously said he would return at the start of the new presidential term, and on Thursday the Argentine government announced he was on his way to Buenos Aires.

Human rights groups and international organizations such as the United Nations have criticized Maduro’s government for repressive activities both before and after contested elections, including arbitrary arrests and torture. Almost 2,000 people were arrested after the elections, and 23 of them were killed.

With Maduro’s third inauguration ceremony approaching on January 10, a group of UN human rights experts on Thursday appealed to Venezuelan authorities to respect civil liberties, including the right to protest.

“We strongly urge the authorities so that the rights to protest and free expression can be exercised without fear of possible reprisals,” the group’s president, Marta Valinas, said in a statement.

Maduro has become increasingly isolated after disputed elections and a harsh police crackdown on opposition-led protests. Even left-wing allies in Brazil and Colombia have asked his government to release transparent results.

The election controversy also strained relations with Argentina, which has since severed diplomatic ties with Venezuela.

Without formal diplomatic relations, Brazil has agreed to serve as custodian for Argentina’s embassy in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, where several opposition leaders have sought refuge. Argentina has repeatedly accused Venezuela of harassing those inside the embassy’s walls.

On Thursday, the far-right Argentine president’s government Javier Miley filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing the Venezuelan government of the crime of “enforced disappearance” over the arrest of members of the Argentine security services in December.

The Argentine government says Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, crossed into Venezuela to see family members.

Venezuelan prosecutors, however, say he is under investigation for possible links to groups seeking to carry out “terrorist” actions in the country.