The relatives, surrounded by officials from the Sebin, the PNB and the National Guard who took photos of them from time to time, pointed out that just as there has been dialogue with other sectors, they also hope that the Executive will allow them a space to verify, case by case. , the innocence of their children, parents or siblings imprisoned by the post-election protests
The Committee of Mothers in Defense of the Truth requested this Thursday, November 7, a “sincere dialogue” and a “measure of grace” to the ruler Nicolás Maduro to fully and immediately release all those detained for the post-election protests.
«It hurts us deeply to see how they are denied the right to the presumption of innocence and their access to a lawyer deprived of their trust is taken away. Every day without them is a reminder of the pain that consumes us as mothers, and we wonder what future awaits them if they continue locked up in inhumane conditions,” the relatives of the prisoners said in a statement, read in front of the Caracas Palace of Justice.
The Attorney General’s Office assured that more than 2,200 people were arrested due to protests against the results of the presidential elections, where the CNE proclaimed Maduro the winner. According to estimates by NGOs such as the Penal ForumSince July 29, 1,828 people have been under arrest, 69 of them teenagers, for these events.
The Committee, which brings together the relatives of young people and adults detained and imprisoned in Tocuyito, Tocorón, Yare III or police headquarters, pointed out that “in the cells where they are found, far from the warmth of home and maternal love, they live in precarious and “difficult” conditions that aggravate the underlying illnesses suffered by some prisoners.
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The relatives, surrounded by officials from the Sebin, the PNB and the National Guard who took photos of them from time to time, also pointed out that just as there has been dialogue with other sectors, They hope that the Executive will allow them space to verify, case by case, the innocence of their children, parents or siblings.
«I sincerely ask you, Mr. Nicolás Maduro, to review each of the files so that you can see that they are healthy boys (…) How they ask us mothers to have a happy Christmas when our boys are drying out because the food is little,” said Carola Barillas, mother of José Manuel Robles, a 33-year-old young man from Puerto Ordaz (Bolívar state).
Robles, a sociologist and veterinary assistant, was arrested on August 3 following a complaint from a UBCH. He is now detained in the Tocorón prison, more than 600 kilometers from his home. At the preliminary hearing, where he was sent to trial, he was accused of terrorism and inciting hatred.
The Committee insisted to Maduro that “repair the damage done to our people and facilitate a Christmas at home with our children (…) We implore you to act with compassion and justice; “Let him hear our pleas and allow these young people to return to their homes.”
Yaneth Barrios, mother of Tomás Alejandro Alfaro, a 29-year-old young man who was arrested on July 29 when he was heading to the gym to undergo therapy for one of his legs, clings to that plea. Tomás was hit and taken semi-conscious to a police station in Guarenas, where he was detained. He is now detained and awaiting trial in the Yare III prison on five charges: terrorism, incitement to hatred, association to commit a crime, obstruction of public roads and resistance to authority.
«They are innocent, Mr. President. You called for a merry Christmas, how can we be happy if our children are detained? Really We ask for speed in the cases, that the witnesses accept us because in my son’s case there are witnesses (…) He is very thin, my son was a strong boy and must have lost between 10 and 15 kilos,” he stated.
Tomás Alfaro’s father has not been able to see him since last August 2. Only women are allowed to enter during visits.
Nicole Garrido, sister of Anthony González, also called on the ruler to release him. González, an athlete from the national taekwondo team, went out to buy food in Puerto Ordaz when a PNB commission stopped him, he was beaten to get him off his motorcycle and taken into custody. The family has had to go through five transfers, leave their jobs and practically move to Maracay to be able to visit him in the Tocorón prison.
«This is very strong. We’ve been doing this for three months now and it’s all tremendous. It is so strong that you have to see your family member in that state. He is a quiet boy. What bothers us is the injustice, he is innocent. It has nothing to do with this issue of protests or anything and we have the evidence. “He is only interested in sport,” said Garrido.
Along with Nicole and her aunt Ana there are 10 other women from Puerto Ordaz who decided to devote themselves to their relatives and remain between Caracas and Maracay to be able to attend visits in Tocorón. «The food is horrible, he recently got sick to his stomach. We gave him his medication but he is already fine with all this. I can no longer bear to continue with this injustice and that is why I ask the President to put his hand on his heart because he is also a father, he is a son. “He more than anyone knows that these boys are innocent.”
Nicole Garrido and her aunt Ana Yanci have had to leave their children alone to visit Anthony in Tocorón.
Ronald Yustí, a 19-year-old bus driver who was arrested on July 30, has also been in the Tocorón prison since August 26. Like other prisoners, he has lost weight because the food is not enough, but he does not mention anything further to his family so as not to worry them.
«This is not a fight of two or three people, this is a national fight because just as Ronald was today, tomorrow he can be anyone’s son. That’s what we don’t want, we’re fighting for their good. They already did the preliminaries, now they are going to trial. A preliminary of what? A judgment that they didn’t catch him at all? “He has neither head nor tail,” said a relative who requested anonymity.
The woman, who works in a government agency, was able to see him last week and gave him about five cookies, water and a chocolate. “I don’t consider that a visit, because a visit is that I can hug you, touch you and give you a blessing, but not through a mirror or glass.”
Yuleidi López is another of the mothers who had to move, but from the island of Margarita, to the surroundings of Tocorón to be able to care for her two imprisoned sons: Andrés and Adrián Contreras López. The young people, aged 23 and 20 respectively, were arrested on July 29 in two different places in Porlamar, but the cases were united during their presentation in court two days later.
«We ask Mr. President, I want to spend Christmas, yes, but with them inside my house. Can you imagine Christmas with my children detained? They don’t have food like it should be. “I don’t understand how to be human because we have to go through this,” López claimed.
Yuleidi López sometimes sleeps in squares and, if she can afford it, in a residence to see her children in separate 10-minute visits.
The Contreras López family was also not allowed to present witnesses to prove the innocence of Andrés and Adrián. «We are really tired of that. It’s already been three months and 15 days. What can we tell you when we see you? ‘Daddy is almost there’, I can’t be lying to them because they are there.
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