The Venezuelan NGO Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness has reported that the coordinator of Public Management, Melquiades Pulido Garcíahas been released by the authorities after spending five days in prison after being arrested by the Venezuelan secret services.
“While we celebrate the release of the leaders Melquíades Pulido and José Patines, this Friday, December 19, after several days of their arbitrary detention, as we have denounced, until the repressive apparatus is dismantled and persecution for political reasons ceases, Venezuela will continue a cruel count of new victims of political imprisonment,” the NGO has published on its X account.
José Patines was general secretary of the Foreign Ministry union and had been in a condition of forced disappearance for two days. The Coalition of Unions reported that he was released on the night of December 18, in good health and accompanied by his family. The organization highlighted that the precautionary measure of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) was decisive for his release.
However, Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón has denounced the arrest of the president of the Fetracarabobo union, affiliated with the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV), Omar Escalanteto whom the precautionary measure previously granted for his release would have been withdrawn despite the fact that he is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Escalante was arrested on August 8, 2017, but was released on December 27 of that same year with a precautionary measure to appear every eight days before the court headquarters.
Pulido, 70 years old, was “intercepted” by members of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) when he was walking through Caracas last Monday, December 15, according to the Vente Venezuela party, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.
The leader of Vente Venezuela and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, has also echoed the “kidnapping” of Pulido and has pointed directly to the “Nicolás Maduro regime.” “Maduro is responsible for the life and health of Melquiades!!,” he warned.
Pulido, 70 years old, “suffers from Parkinson’s and has a coagulation condition that requires extreme medical attention to avoid heart attacks or cerebrovascular accidents,” according to Vente Venezuela.
Currently, according to Foro Penal, 893 people remain detained for political reasons in Venezuela and 63 more are in a condition of forced disappearance.
