The Federation of University Centers of the University of Los Andes (FCU-ULA), together with various student movements in the state of Mérida, announced the holding of a mobilization this Thursday, February 12, with the objective of demanding from the Ombudsman’s Office the full and immediate release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.
The call, headed by Mario Humberto López, president of the FCU-ULA, and Junnior Muñoz, deputy president, is presented as a new day of protest by the Meridian student movement in defense of democracy and civil rights. According to the organizers, the university has maintained an active stance in the face of what they consider more than two decades of political persecution and restrictions on freedoms.
Student mobilization in Mérida demands justice and citizen participation
The student leadership assures that the mobilization is part of an agenda of peaceful actions aimed at making visible the situation of those who remain detained for political reasons and reaffirming the historical role of the University of Los Andes as a space for critical thinking and citizen participation.
“The student struggle in Mérida does not stop; it is transformed and strengthened. Despite the systematic persecution that we have faced in cycles as harsh as 2014, 2017 and recently in 2024, our determination remains intact. This February 12 we will go out to fulfill our historic duty of defending those who today suffer unjust imprisonment for thinking differently,” he declared. Mario Humberto López.
For his part, the deputy president of the FCU called for citizen participation and coordination between different social sectors in the region.
“Our presence in the street is the natural response of a youth that refuses to remain silent. We invite every person from Meride to join this concentration. The demand for the freedom of our fellow prisoners is a cause that calls us all together. The ULA has not stopped and will not stop raising its voice,” said Muñoz.
The student movement reiterated that it will maintain its agenda of mobilization and denunciation as long as politically motivated arrests persist in the country, underlining its commitment to the defense of human rights and the recovery of democracy. Likewise, he insisted that the University of Los Andes will continue to be present in the public space as an active actor in Venezuelan political and social life.
With information from a press release.
