Venezuelan opposition parties and NGOs decried the arrests of a prominent press freedom activist and a well-known opposition figure, among others, ahead of planned protests against Friday's inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term.

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday decried a worsening crackdown 48 hours before he is to be sworn in following elections he is widely accused to have stolen.

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro will take to the streets Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to prevent him from being sworn in for a highly controversial third term as president.Ruling party loyalists have also taken to the streets in a blunt warning to their opponents.

Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González is rallying regional support for the opposition's claims that he won the July election against President Nicolás Maduro

Self-exiled Edmundo González said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while taking González’s two grandchildren to school in Caracas.

Venezuela is on tenterhooks as it braces for pro- and anti-government protests Thursday -- the eve of President Nicolas Maduro's swearing-in for a third term rejected by the opposition and much of the international community as illegitimate.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is to be sworn in for his third presidential term but opposition leaders urge their supporters to protest.