Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado reported that her close ally, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was kidnapped hours after being released from prison, The Guardian reported.

Axar.az reports that Guanipa, a former governor, had spent over eight months in detention on politically motivated charges and was freed on Sunday along with other opposition figures.

Machado said heavily armed men in civilian clothes took him in multiple vehicles from a residential area in Caracas. His son and rights groups have demanded proof of life and his immediate release.

The abduction occurred amid the government of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who has released some political prisoners following the January 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. Critics say the release process has been slow, and the kidnapping raises concerns about the government’s commitment to political reconciliation.