These are days of unusual concern for the authoritarian regime of Nicolas MaduroRarely have so many eyes from all over the world looked at Venezuela in recent years. Amid Donald Trump’s threat of an impending invasion of that country, María Corina Machado, legitimate vice president of Venezuela and leading voice of anti-Chavismo, received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10.
But him December 10th It is also a bitter day for those who dare to oppose Maduro, because it is a reminder of what is happening to those who fight for freedom in Venezuela. This day marks one year of illegal detention. Jesus Armasa young university professor, former Caracas city councilor and human rights activist.
From the Nobel Prize to torture
The horrors of his fall gave him international prominence, with repercussions in the United States, Spain and throughout Latin America. A year ago, the young activist was kidnapped by masked and unidentified agents without a court order or information about his whereabouts.
Authoritarians don’t like that
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a mainstay of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe that they are the owners of the truth.
Javier Milei attended the Nobel Prize ceremony for María Corina Machado
He remained missing for a week and was then transferred to various secret detention centers where he was subjected to physical and psychological torture to break his will. Today he is imprisoned in El Helicoide, the former shopping center that SEBIN converted into one Detention centers and torment, which is the most widely reported in the country.
Diosdado hair confirmed on television the capture of Jesús Armas, accused him of terrorism and declared that he had collaborated with María Corina Machado, in a clear sign of authoritarianism.”
During this time, he also remained completely isolated from the outside world for more than ten months, with no access to private lawyers or his family and barely receiving a single visit, which activist Sairam Rivas described as a simple “proof of life” before the regime again banned him from all contact with the outside world.
Thanks to Rivas’s insistence and public complaints, the young man managed to regain his right to regular visits, although still under severe restrictions.
The state’s lack of transparency was so extreme that the only authority to speak about his arrest was neither a judge nor a prosecutor, but Diosdado hairMinister of the Interior and central figure of political power. Cabello confirmed his arrest on television, accused him of terrorism and stated that he had collaborated with María Corina Machado, which was a clear expression of authoritarianism and the use of the state apparatus to persecute opponents.
Far from being a terrorist or a threat to the state, Jesus is a recognized social leader. He founded the NGO Ciudadanía sin Límites, which has provided food and assistance to more than 1,200 children amid the Venezuelan food crisis.
His civic career and democratic commitment led him to receive prestigious international fellowships such as the Chevening, awarded by the British government, and the former American president’s Obama Foundation, awards that underpin his leadership and thwart any attempt by the regime to portray him as a criminal.
His case is not an anomaly, but evidence of a perverse system through which opponents in Venezuela disappear, are tortured and illegally imprisoned.
He Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Venezuela (CLIPPVE) was able to identify 1,018 cases of political prisoners, most of which occurred after Maduro refused to hand over command to Edmundo González, the candidate who won the majority of votes in the 2024 presidential election.
40% of the Venezuelan population suffers from it Food insecurity; Malaria rose from 36,000 cases in 2009 to over 414,000 in 2017.
This makes it understandable that leaders like Leopoldo López or Juan Guaido had to go into exile, while others were forced to carry out their activities in complete secrecy, as in the case of María Corina Machado. According to witnesses, they tortured Jesus by suffocating him with garbage bags and tried unsuccessfully to get him to reveal the whereabouts of the current Nobel Peace Prize winner.
It is curious that December 10th is also the day when there is an international reminder of what is most denied to the Venezuelan people: Human rights.
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The humanitarian crisis caused by the Maduro regime demonstrates this clearly: 40% of the population suffers from food insecurity, eradicated diseases such as malaria rose from 36,000 cases in 2009 to over 414,000 in 2017, and almost 8 million Venezuelans were forced into exile UNHCR was classified as the largest exodus in Latin America’s modern history.
Far from protecting its people, the regime punishes those who try to alleviate this suffering. That is why the Jesús case is not only the drama of a man unjustly imprisoned, but also the symbol of all Venezuelans who are being persecuted, tortured or expelled today because they try to shed light on the same tragedies that the state does not want to face.
*Masters in Development and Public Policy from the University of Sussex; Specialist in populist narratives
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