Venezuelan prosecutors have launched a treason investigation into opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, accusing her of backing US sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro. The inquiry is based on claims that her actions threaten national stability, as a bipartisan bill in the US is set to restrict dealings with Maduro’s regime. Maduro has claimed victory in the recent elections, which the US refuses to recognize, amid allegations of fraud and repression of the opposition. Machado has gone into hiding while her replacement, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, fled to Spain.