Venezuela's government on Sunday released from prison several prominent opposition members, including Juan Pablo Guanipa, a key ally of María Corina Machado.

Juan Pablo Guanipa was taken around midnight in a residential neighborhood of the capital, Caracas, María Corina Machado said.

The Justice First party leader is among 18 political prisoners to be freed by the interim government on Sunday.

Venezuelan authorities on Sunday said they were seeking court approval to put prominent opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa under house arrest, shortly after he was seized by armed men in Caracas in what his son called a kidnapping.

Venezuela’s government has released several prominent opposition members from prison, including one of the closest allies of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. These releases come

Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and prominent lawyer Perkins Rocha have been freed from jail, their families said in separate statements on Sunday, the latest high-profile releases by the government in Caracas,