The revelations come just days before Venezuelans head to the polls to vote in presidential elections. Maduro's nine-year reign is predicted to be extended until 2030, and he has warned that if he loses, there will be a civil war and a "blood bath." His top rivals have been barred from running, and supporters of the remaining competitive candidate, retired diplomat Edmundo González, have been subject to arrests and other forms of intimidation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, since Maduro took power in 2013, thousands of people have fled Venezuela to other parts of South America and beyond. Among them were Ronald Ojeda, Jose Rodriguez Araña, Pablo Parada, and Carlos Guillen, all of whom opposed Maduro's rule and organized a military uprising with the goal of toppling his government last year.
The quartet were all captured by Venezuelan forces, but managed to escape and continue on their journeys. After being tortured, Guillen and Araña fled to Germany and the United States, respectively, where they were granted asylum. Parada made it to Colombia, though he has still been forced to move around constantly to evade capture. Ojeda moved to Chile with his wife and son, where they thought they would be safe.
In February, however, a gang of men dressed as Chilean police officers barged into their apartment and dragged Ojeda away. His body was found days later in a suitcase under four feet of concrete, with an autopsy showing he had died of asphyxiation after being beaten.
Chilean authorities blamed the killing on Venezuela, but officials there claimed to have had no part in it. As the Wall Street Journal reports, two of the men who took part in the incident were later identified as members of the Tren de Aragua gang. It is believed that similar crimes have been perpetrated by gang members in numerous countries at the service of Maduro's government.
