Dr. Marggie Orozco, 65 years old, was sentenced to 30 years in prison when she was accused of treason, incitement to hatred and conspiracy, after an audio sent by WhatsApp was broadcast in which she questioned the management of Nicolás Maduro.
Orozco She was arrested on August 5, 2024 in San Juan de Colón, in the state of Táchira, in the midst of the crisis generated after the presidential elections of July 28 of the same year.
The doctor’s audio was reported to the authorities by the members of the Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP) of her community and in it she said with anguish and a broken voice:
“I don’t know how long we will have to continue supporting this Maduro dictatorship that is starving all of us Venezuelans. My God! There is no food, there is no medicine, every day it is more difficult and one feels that no one listens; Please, someone do something.”
The 30-year sentence imposed on Orozco on November 16 has generated a wave of reactions in the country.
He Committee for the freedom of social fighters He was one of the first to reject the sentence, assuring on his networks that the case demonstrates the criminalization of opinion in the country.
“The viciousness of the regime is evident. In Venezuela there is a crime of opinion, as in the worst dictatorships in history,” the organization said.
Former parliamentarian César Pérez Vivas affirmed that the complaint against Orozco was filed by the person in charge of the CLAP of his community in San Juan de Colón, Táchira state, “for a simple WhatsApp audio about the July 28 elections.”
According to NGOs, Orozco has suffered two heart attacks in the last two years. The most recent in September 2024, being already detained.
Organizations such as Médicos Unidos del Táchira have also demanded his release, warning that the doctor is a heart patient and requesting guarantees for her integrity, as well as respect for due process.
“The Doctors of Táchira request the mediation of union, professional, political and regional, national and international human rights organizations for the prompt freedom of Dr. Marggie Orozco, 64 years old,” they expressed.
