{
  "id": 13014319,
  "title": "Former Venezuelan judge says threats forced her to sign Machado election ban",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/former-venezuelan-judge-says-threats-forced-her-to-sign-machado",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T02:40:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/09/former-venezuelan-judge-says-threats-forced-her-to-sign-machado-election-ban"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent interview with AFP, former Venezuelan Supreme Court justice Barbara Cesar Siero revealed that government threats forced her to sign a ban on opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from participating in elections. The ban, implemented after Machado won an opposition primary in 2023, prevented her from being formally named a candidate. Siero's signature was obtained after her family members, all military personnel, were arrested in December 2023 as an attempt to coerce her into signing the ban. Despite her efforts, Machado's party chose to designate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a lesser-known diplomat, as her replacement at short notice. In January 2024, Maduro was captured by US forces and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges, while the opposition claimed the July 2024 election was fraudulent and results were not recognized internationally. In response to Cesar's remarks, Machado's opposition party called for the immediate lifting of her ineligibility to run for office, deeming her ban as illegal from the outset. Siero's comments have reignited calls to overturn the ban, with her party accusing the government of using family members as hostages to force judges to sign illegal decisions.",
  "summary": "Barbara Cesar Siero's comments have prompted Maria Corina Machado's opposition party to call for the immediate lifting of her ban on running for office.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Former Venezuelan judge says threats forced her to sign Machado election ban",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/former-venezuelan-judge-says-threats-forced-her-to-sign-machado-13015434",
        "published": "2026-10-09T02:40:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}