Former Venezuelan judge says threats forced her to sign Machado election ban

Former Venezuelan Supreme Court justice, Barbara Cesar Siero, has revealed that she signed a ban preventing opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from running in elections due to threats from the government, a disclosure that has reignited calls to overturn the ban. Cesar's account of her experience comes as her opposition party demands the immediate lifting of Machado's ineligibility to run for office.

In December 2023, Cesar's siblings and sister-in-law were arrested by Venezuelan military personnel as part of an alleged plot to force her to sign the election ban. According to Cesar, she believed signing the ban might secure the release of her family members, stating, "I thought to myself: maybe if I sign, they'll give them back... I ended up signing, and they kept them in detention."

The opposition party, Vente, has criticized the government's actions, stating that the ineligibility was "illegal from the outset... achieved by using relatives of a judge as hostages." They have called for an urgent investigation into the matter and demanded the lifting of Machado's ineligibility.

Cesar, who has expressed doubts about the independence of the Venezuelan judiciary, believes that all powers in the country have become illegitimate due to the proclamation of Nicolas Maduro's victory in the 2024 election. She calls for the implementation of laws without interference, emphasizing the need for judges, governors, and mayors to fulfill their roles independently.