Venezuela's domestic intelligence service on Tuesday arrested two opposition leaders following a controversial election of an all-powerful legislative body.

Leopoldo Lopez and Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma have been vocal critics of the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

In a tweet, Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, posted a video showing the pro-democracy activist being detained by Venezuelan authorities.

"12:27 in the morning: the moment when the dictatorship abducts Leopoldo at my house. We will not bow," Tintori wrote in the tweet.

Both leaders were serving prison sentences under house arrest.

The Supreme Court said Tuesday the two had been sent back to jail for making political statements in violation of the terms of their house arrest and because they were planning to flee.

Juan Gutierrez, Lopez's lawyer, has dismissed the court's explanation as false, saying in a tweet that there is "no legal justification to revoke the house arrest measure."

In February, a court upheld a 14-year sentence for Lopez for allegedly inciting violence at deadly anti-governments protests in 2014. He was released from prison in July and placed under house arrest.

Read: 5 things to understand about oil-rich, cash-poor Venezuela

Venezuela on the brink The last straw In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.

Venezuela on the brink Hunger, a growing problem The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.

Venezuela on the brink Health care in crisis The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.

Venezuela on the brink Power grab By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.

Venezuela on the brink The West sanctions In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.

Venezuela on the brink Government victorious in regional elections In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.

Venezuela on the brink Debt default In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.

Venezuela on the brink Presidential elections scheduled The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.

Venezuela on the brink Maduro wins ... Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.

Venezuela on the brink ... Guaido assumes power But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.



Ledezma's daughter: 'I am worried about my father'

In an interview with DW, Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma's daughter, Antonietta Ledezma, said that she was worried about her father's well-being.

"I am in complete fear for his physical health, for his emotional health. I am terrified because I know that the repression of Nicolas Maduro is capable of doing anything. I am desperate to know where my father is," she told DW.

Antonietta Ledezma accused authorities of breaking the law.

"Without any sort of notification the political police of Maduro just knock on our door and just kidnapped my father just like that. My father had denounced the critical situation that we're going through in Venezuela, and that was reason enough for Maduro to throw him back in jail.

"We're talking about the elected and reelected mayor of the capital of my country, of Caracas."

A video posted by Gaby Arellano, a parliamentarian with the opposition-controlled National Assembly, purportedly shows Venezuelan intelligence agents escorting Ledezma - still wearing his pajamas - from his residence in the middle of the night.

The Caracas mayor was placed in house arrest in 2015 for health reasons after being arrested on conspiracy and racketeering charges.



US and EU react

The US holds Maduro "personally responsible" for the safety of the two opposition leaders, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday in a statement.

Lopez and Ledezma were "political prisoners being held illegally by the regime," Trump said.

"The United States holds Maduro - who publicly announced just hours earlier that he would move against his political opposition - personally responsible for the health and safety of Mr Lopez, Mr Ledezma, and any others seized."

The US State Department said earlier on Tuesday that the arrests were further evidence Maduro "is an authoritarian ruler who is not willing to respect fundamental human rights." Washington on Monday added the Venezuelan leader to a list of high-ranking officials targeted by financial sanctions.

The European Union called the arrests a "step in the wrong direction." The EU had already announced the previous day that it had "grave doubts" about recognizing the vote, urging Caracas to end a four-month crackdown on protests that has left more than 120 people dead.

"A few weeks ago we had welcomed the transfer of Leopoldo Lopez from his prison into house arrest," Catherine Ray, a spokeswoman for the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, said.

"We expect more information from the Venezuelan authorities on their situation which is still unclear."

Separately, the head of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, called for the bloc to consider imposing sanctions against Maduro and his aides.

Read: Venezuela: Democracy under fire

Controversial vote

The arrests came a day after Venezuelan electoral officials announced the results of an internationally-condemned election for an all-powerful constituent assemblythat supersedes powers of the parliament. Opposition parties boycotted the vote, saying it was a ploy aimed at consolidating Maduro's power.

Voter turnout for the 545-member constituent assembly reached 41.5 percent despite the boycott, according to National Electoral Council chief Tibisay Lucena.

Since April 1, dozens have been killed and hundreds more injured and detained during anti-government protests. Maduro has attempted to quell the demonstrations and rally support by describing them as a US-led conspiracy to unseat him.

Read more: US slaps sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

However, Maduro has failed to redress chronic shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods, and rising criminal violence.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Journalism born of need "I’d been working as a journalist for a year when the protests started in 2014. Many independent media have come into existence in the last two years due to the government censorship, and that's how I became a reporter," Ivan Reyes told DW. He started capturing the new wave of riots on a daily basis at the end of March.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Welcome to the stone age The ruling by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which took away immunity from opposition parliamentarians, set off a surge of protests paralyzing the country. Although the protests were peaceful at first, government forces soon started throwing stones into the crowds. "Seriously, the police were given stones! This man, Lino Rivera, was hit by one on April 4," Reyes said.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Highway to hell The marches take place all over Caracas every day, but they usually end on the city highways. This photo shows two officers of the national guard shooting tear gas grenades into the lines of protesters. "The projectiles should be shot above people’s heads - so the international laws says," says Reyes. "But the armed forces shoot straight into the demonstrators."

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society "We are all Juan" Juan Pablo Pernalete, 20, died after being hit by a projectile on April 26. The death of the student of Universidad Metropolitana triggered angry protests in the following days. "People were chanting 'Todos somos Juan! Todos somos Juan!'" ("We are all Juan") Reyes told DW. Congressmen Miguel Pizarro and Carlos Paparoni and the Governor of Miranda Henrique Capriles all came to pay tribute.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Evasive action Defense has become the key element for survival. "The people seem to be organized better every day," says Reyes. Against the wishes of the protest leaders, several groups have started using DIY weapons and even Molotov cocktails against the government forces, as seen in this photo. "It’s a battle they can’t win," says Reyes.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Heros of the day "Jesús was one of those injured in the demonstrations on May 4. He was gasping and stuttering after he got hit in the head. People in the crowd spotted him and carried him to one side where paramedics gave him first aid. The members of Primeros Auxilios UCV are the real heroes of history," Reyes said of the group of doctors who go to the protests every day to help the injured.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society The wrath of the women scorned On May 6, a women’s protest against the regime was organized by Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, Venezuela's opposition party. The march wasn’t allowed to reach its destination, the Ministry of Justice, as they were halted by female officers of the national police. Former politician María Corina Machado and the student president of Universidad Central de Venezuela were among the protesters.

Protests paralyze Venezuela's society Ode to Venezuela This image shot by Reyes went viral right after it was published by the author on May 8. The picture is one of the strongest snapshots from the Venezuelan protests, showing a young man walking down a road playing the Venezuelan anthem. "I don’t see the protests ending soon," said Reyes. "Let’s see which side gets tired first." Author: Ivan Reyes (Venezuela)



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