International Community Urges Immediate Liberation of Venezuelan Activist Held by Maduro Government
Venezuela: UN Calls for Immediate Release of Detained Human Rights Activist Martha Liá Grajales
In a significant development, Martha Liá Grajales, a human rights activist in Venezuela, has been detained since August 2025, following her participation in a protest demanding the release of detainees after the disputed July 2024 presidential election. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called for her immediate release, expressing concerns about her detention conditions and the lack of information provided to her family and lawyer.
Grajales, who heads the Venezuelan NGO SurGentes, faces charges of "hate speech" and "terrorism" in Venezuela. These charges, if proven, could result in sentences of 10 to 30 years in prison, the maximum in Venezuela. The charges against her include accusations of inciting hate and terrorism against Venezuelan institutions and the Republic’s peace.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has emphasized the need for transparency about Grajales' current situation and has urged the Venezuelan authorities to respect her human rights, ensuring proper communication with her family and lawyer about her fate and whereabouts.
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (CLIPP) has denounced a repressive escalation by the Venezuelan government following an attack on families of political prisoners during a peaceful vigil near the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in Caracas. CLIPP reported that protesters were repressed with blows, shots, and insults during the vigil.
The attack occurred despite the presence of security cameras at the TSJ's facilities, whose board has not issued any statement regarding the incident nor identified or processed those responsible for the aggression.
The situation of Martha Liá Grajales has become a symbol of the challenges faced by defenders in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has been criticized internationally for its crackdown on post-election protests, which led to deaths, arrests, and heavy sentences for detainees. Protests escalated after the re-election of dictator Nicolás Maduro, which opposition sectors denounced as fraudulent.
According to the organization Foro Penal, 807 people remain in detention for political reasons. The regime and the prosecution insist that detainees face charges for various crimes, not political motivations. However, the lack of condemnation for the repressive escalation against victims of human rights violations from the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor's Office) has been criticized by CLIPP.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also stated that Venezuelan authorities must guarantee Grajales' access to her family and legal representation. The international community continues to urge Venezuela for her immediate release.
[1] Human Rights Watch. (2025). Venezuela: UN Calls for Release of Martha Liá Grajales. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/12/venezuela-un-calls-release-martha-lia-grajales
[2] Amnesty International. (2025). Venezuela: Immediate Release of Martha Liá Grajales Demanded by UN. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/08/venezuela-immediate-release-of-martha-lia-grajales-demanded-by-un/
[3] Foro Penal. (2025). Situación de Martha Liá Grajales. [online] Available at: https://foropenalvenezuela.org/situacion-de-martha-lia-grajales/
[4] SurGentes. (2025). Sobre Nosotros. [online] Available at: https://surgentesvenezuela.org/sobre-nosotros/
What is the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calling for concerning Martha Liá Grajales in the context of war-and-conflicts and politics? He is urging the Venezuelan authorities to ensure transparency about Grajales' current situation, respect her human rights, and guarantee her access to her family and legal representation.
In the general news about crime-and-justice in Venezuela, what organization has denounced a repressive escalation by the government following an attack on families of political prisoners and reported that protesters were repressed with blows, shots, and insults during a vigil? The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (CLIPP) has made this denouncement.
