Venezuela: Relatives of Detained Human Rights Activists Worried After They Went Missing Following Arrest

Human rights activist and director of the NGO Citizen Control Rocio San Miguel has gone missing along with other human rights activists after they were arrested in Venezuela, which has become infamous over its less-than-stellar human rights record under the Nicolas Maduro regime.

She and her daughter, Miranda Diaz San Miguel, were stopped at an airport last Sunday as they were traveling to Miami for a vacation along with their other relatives: her brothers, Miguel ángel and Alberto San Miguel; her father, Victor Díaz Paruta; and Alberto González, another relative.

According to El Pais, only she was detained, and her current whereabouts are unknown, with members of her family trying to get in contact with her by visiting prisons around the country but could not find her. They are worried for their safety given the Maduro regime's record of treating political opponents.

Venezuela Attorney General Tarek William Saab acknowledged last Sunday that San Miguel and her relatives were arrested. However, he did not reveal where she was detained and added that she was part of a conspiracy to assassinate Nicolas Maduro, thus leading to her arrest.

"There is an arrest warrant against her for being linked and referenced in the conspiracy and attempted assassination plot called White Bracelet," admitted the AG, referencing the recent plot that the government claims targeted Maduro in another "assassination attempt."

Detained Venezuela Human Rights Activist's Lawyer Also Not Informed Where She Was Detained

Usually, whenever somebody is arrested, their lawyer is alerted immediately. However, in San Miguel's case, not even her lawyer knows where she is, as the government did not even inform her of where she is held and what crimes she was charged with.

San Miguel's attorney stated that she had not been informed about her client's crime and where she and her relatives had been detained. It also took two days for her to finally know what happened to her client, and this was when Venezuela AG Saab confirmed her arrest.

San Miguel is just the latest government critic to be arrested. This comes just weeks after 36 government critics, including prominent opposition officials, were rounded up and accused of being part of an alleged plot to kill Nicolas Maduro, per the BBC.

Missing Venezuela Human Rights Activist's Daughter Questions Government Over Mother's Abduction

San Miguel has become a prominent critic of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. She "specialized in studying Venezuela's shadowy, often corrupt armed forces," according to the Associated Press, and has worked to defend human rights in the country.

Soon after her mother's detention and disappearance, Minnie Diaz released a statement.

"Our main concern as a family is the integrity of their lives. We don't know if they are alive. We don't know what may be happening to them," she said. "Where are they? We want real proof and evidence of where they are, what physical conditions they are in."

She also noted that her mother did not have any arrest warrants against her.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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