The Maduro regime arrested the Venezuelan human rights activist, Rocío San Miguel, when she was trying to leave the country

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Venezuelan human rights activist Rocío San Miguel was arrested by the Maduro regime as she attempted to leave the country, with the Chavista dictatorship accusing her of involvement in alleged coup plans against the government of Nicolás Maduro. San Miguel, the president of the NGO Citizen Control, was detained on Friday, January 9, sparking condemnation from various organizations.

Provea, an NGO, denounced San Miguel’s arrest as a “VERY SERIOUS event” and highlighted the regime’s efforts to repress critical voices and close civic space. Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón also expressed concern over the arbitrary detention, noting that her whereabouts were unknown more than 24 hours after the arrest.

The opposition party Vente Venezuela, led by María Corina Machado, characterized the arrest as part of a systematic pattern of human rights violations by the regime. This action is related to the investigations being carried out by the Venezuelan regime in connection to conspiracy cases denounced by Maduro in January.

Up until January 24, the Chavista Justice had detained 36 people and were seeking 22 others in relation to these cases. The regime also accused journalist Sebastiana Barráez, which was rejected by the National College of Journalists (CNP) as an attack on freedom of expression and due process.

The CNP also repudiated the attempt to criminalize journalists and human rights defenders without proper access to evidence or respect for the right to defense. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, announced the expulsion of over 30 soldiers from the Bolivarian National Armed Forces allegedly involved in these conspiracies, including an alleged attempt to assassinate Maduro. The arrest of the security expert also highlights the failure of high-level officials to comply with UN recommendations or protocols on refraining from executing mechanisms that violate freedom of expression and the duty to investigate crimes committed against journalists, leaders unions, students, politicians, and human rights defenders.