Urgent Action: VENEZUELAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AND HER FAMILY ARRESTED (Venezuela 13.24)

Rocío San Miguel, a well-known human rights defender, was arbitrarily detained on February 9, 2024, at the airport in Caracas, Venezuela. She is forcibly disappeared, resembling a widely documented pattern. The Attorney General’s Office publicly acknowledged her detention but has denied information on her whereabouts. Her lawyers have requested information at detention centers in Caracas and have so far received no response. Her daughter and other family members were also detained. Rocio San Miguel has had no access to family members or legal representation. She is detained for defending human rights in Venezuela. Amnesty International calls on Nicolás Maduro to release her immediately and unconditionally and to guarantee her personal integrity. 

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
• Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 13.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

sample letter:

President Nicolás Maduro, 

I write to you greatly concerned over the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Rocío San Miguel, her daughter, and other relatives. The denial of information on her whereabouts, as well as the lack of access to her family and legal representation, is reminiscent of a widely documented pattern of enforced disappearances and could constitute a crime under international law. Rocío, who holds Venezuelan and Spanish nationalities, is a brave and renowned human rights defender and lawyer, currently the president of the NGO Control Ciudadano (Citizen Control). 

Rocío was detained at approximately 5:00 in the morning on February 9 at the Simón Bolívar international airport. Since then, her whereabouts have been unknown, and her family and lawyers have not had contact with her. Rocío is also at risk of being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. 

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Rocío San Miguel, as well as a definitive stop to the policy of repression against those considered as opposing the government. While she is unjustly detained, authorities must guarantee access to her family and legal representatives of her choosing. We also demand the freedom of her family members who have been unjustly detained. 

Yours sincerely, 

[YOUR NAME]

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