Maduro government offers reward for location of exiled opposition candidate 

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

The announcement on Thursday comes eight days before Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term, following a contested presidential election in July.

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

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

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

Maduro’s government has claimed the president prevailed in his re-election bid but refused to release the usual breakdown of voter tallies that accompany elections.

The opposition, meanwhile, accused Maduro of election fraud and said that Gonzalez was the rightful winner. It released what appeared to be election tally sheets showing Gonzalez beating Maduro by a two-to-one margin.

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

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

He had previously said he would return at the beginning of the new presidential term, and on Thursday, Argentina’s government indicated he was en route to Buenos Aires.

Human rights groups and international organisations such as the United Nations have criticised the Maduro government for repressive activities both before and since the contested election, including arbitrary arrests and torture. Nearly 2,000 people were arrested in the aftermath of the elections, and 23 were killed.

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

“We make a strong call to the authorities so that the rights to demonstrate and express oneself freely can be exercised without fear of possible reprisals,” the group’s president, Marta Valinas, said in a statement.

Maduro has become increasingly isolated following the contested election and a harsh police crackdown on opposition-led protests. Even left-wing allies in Brazil and Colombia have pushed for his government to release transparent results.

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

With no formal diplomatic relations, Brazil has agreed to serve as custodian for Argentina’s embassy in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, where several opposition leaders have sought shelter. Argentina has repeatedly accused Venezuela of harassing those inside the embassy walls.

On Thursday, the government of far-right Argentinian President Javier Milei filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing the Venezuelan government of the crime of “enforced disappearance” over the arrest of an Argentinian security services member in December.

The Argentinian government states that Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, crossed into Venezuela to see family members.

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