Activists Rally for Detained Spanish Activist

With a human chain and shouting "freedom!", dozens of activists demonstrated in front of the Spanish embassy in Caracas to ask that country to intercede for the activist Rocío San Miguel, who is Spanish and was arrested for "terrorism".

The protesters - wearing black t-shirts with the message "close the torture centers" - joined together in a human chain to shout the names of other "political prisoners."

"The most representative face is Rocío, but we ask for all political prisoners," Lexys Rendón, coordinator of the NGO Peace Laboratory, told the press.

"It is a call to the embassy to intercede for Rocío, for her family, but also for the rights and guarantees and freedoms of all Venezuelans," she added after briefly meeting with the Spanish ambassador in Venezuela, Ramón Santos Martínez.

The diplomat did not declare to the media.

San Miguel, who has dual Venezuelan and Spanish nationality, directs the NGO Citizen Control, which records cases of human rights violations in civilians and the military, and is also an authority on military matters.

She was arrested on February 9 and accused of being linked to an alleged conspiracy to kill President Nicolás Maduro. She was charged with "treason", "terrorism" and "conspiracy".

Her ex-husband, retired Colonel Alejandro José Gonzales, was also captured on suspicion of "revelation of political and military secrets."

"There are no free elections with political prisoners. Release all political prisoners," read a poster in reference to the presidential elections scheduled for this year on a date yet to be defined.

And activists have warned that during 2024 the "repression" of government critics increased.

The specialized NGO Penal Forum counts 263 "political prisoners", 19 of them are women.