Opposition prisoner dies due to lack of medical care in Venezuela: Machado

A member of the Venezuelan opposition, imprisoned after the July elections, died due to lack of timely medical attention, denounced leader María Corina Machado.

Jesús Manuel Martínez Medina, a musician and composer member of Vente Venezuela, the political organization led by Machado, was arrested by agents of the intelligence services one day after the elections, on the night of July 29, at his home in Aragua. from Barcelona, ​​in Anzoátegui, in the east of the country.

“They transferred him to inhumane cells in Anzoátegui, he was severely mistreated and was in such precarious hygienic conditions that he had necrosis in both legs,” he said on his social networks.

According to the opposition leader, the authorities “denied any type of medical care” to Martínez Medina, who suffered from type two diabetes and had a heart problem, until he was recently transferred to a hospital.

“The doctors, upon seeing the state Jesus was in, decided that they should amputate both of his legs. In the middle of the procedure, this morning, he died,” continued Machado, winner of the opposition presidential primary, but disqualified from holding public office.

Martínez Medina, considered a political prisoner, participated as a witness at the table for the former presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, currently in forced exile in Spain.

Venezuelan authorities have not referred to the case publicly. According to spokespersons for the government and institutions such as the Public Ministry, in the country there are no prisoners detained for political reasons, but rather linked to alleged conspiracies and violent actions to remove them from power.

They accuse the State of responsibility

Machado blamed Maduro and his government for Martínez’s death. “He died due to the inhumane conditions in which he was held hostage. They took Jesus away for exercising a citizen’s right and duty,” he insisted.

According to the Penal Forum, there are currently 1,976 political prisoners in Venezuela. According to that organization that provides pro bono assistance to people arbitrarily detained, 1,836 arrests have occurred since July 29, when protests were registered against the results that gave President Nicolás Maduro the winner of the elections.

Almost four months after the election, the Venezuelan electoral authority has not published disaggregated results, amid complaints of fraud by the opposition, which published copies of the minutes kept by its table witnesses and which give González Urrutia as the winner.

According to the most recent report from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM), human rights violations in Venezuela have worsened after the elections.

Since 2015, at least 12 people considered political prisoners have died in state custody, amid unclear circumstances.

The lack of timely medical care has been one of the factors that have influenced the deaths, despite the fact that article 43 of the Constitution establishes that the State must protect the lives of people who are deprived of their liberty, according to defenders. of fundamental rights.

This week, The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged the international community to not accept “or normalize” the situation in Venezuela after the presidential elections, and called for promoting a “coordinated and diplomatic” effort to support a peaceful transition to democracy in that country.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to the newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.