A small but determined group of demonstrators gathered in Venezuela's capital on Monday to honor a woman who passed away over the weekend, just days after learning her son had died in state custody nine months earlier. The protest, primarily composed of college students, briefly blocked a major highway in Caracas as they voiced their anger against the government for the deaths of Victor Hugo Quero, a political prisoner, and his elderly mother, Carmen Navas.
Protesters Demand Justice
Carrying a large banner featuring Navas's photograph, the students chanted slogans holding the government accountable. Student leader Miguel Angel Suarez expressed the collective fury: "What it stirs up in Venezuelans, in the Venezuelan youth, is rage, man." The protesters demanded justice, shouting, "They didn't die; they were killed! Justice for Carmen!"
The Tragic Timeline
Navas, 82, died just 10 days after Venezuela's prisons agency announced that Quero had died in July following hospitalization while in custody. The government had withheld this information even as Navas tirelessly searched for her son, visiting detention centers, courthouses, and government agencies seeking proof of life. Quero had been detained since January 2025, and his imprisonment was widely considered politically motivated.
The government's statement claimed Navas, a 51-year-old salesperson, died of "acute respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism" 10 days after being hospitalized for a gastrointestinal issue. It added that relatives were not notified because Quero failed to provide contact information.
Outrage and Condemnation
The case has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, Venezuela's political opposition, and families of other political prisoners. The Venezuelan prisoners' rights group Foro Penal estimates that more than 400 people are currently detained for political reasons in the country. Monday's protest underscores growing frustration with the government's handling of political detentions and the lack of transparency surrounding deaths in custody.
