Since President Nicolas Maduro side-lined the National Assembly by establishing an alternative chamber over the summer, political persecution has “dramatically increased”, Freddy Guevara told Anadolu Agency.

“After the illegitimate Constituent was set up, the persecution got worse,” he said, referring to the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) set up amid claims of election fraud and political unrest.

“Julio Borges, the president of the National Assembly and I were threatened,” Guevara added. “We are aware that at any moment they can detain us.”

Guevara is a leading opposition member and is currently in Europe to meet world leaders in a bid to develop support.

The National Assembly sits in the same legislative building as Maduro’s NCA but Guevara dismissed claims of coexistence between the two bodies, calling the current situation a “military occupation”.

“They enter by force and with the support of the military, they use those facilities,” he said.

“Here we have a military order to prevent the National Assembly, which is the legitimate administrator of these spaces, from using them.