Venezuelan naval officer regains freedom after four years in detention
Frigate captain Carlos Piña was released from a prison in Táchira state under a precautionary measure, following his arrest in 2022 on alleged charges of human trafficking and conspiracy.
Venezuelan naval officer regains freedom after four years in detention
A senior officer of the Venezuelan Navy has been released after serving a preventive sentence exceeding four years. This is frigate captain Carlos Piña, 51 years old, who left the Western Penitentiary Centre in Táchira state under a restrictive measure that does not constitute his complete acquittal.
The news was confirmed by Alfredo Romero, lawyer and director of an organisation defending human rights that monitors detentions for political reasons in the Caribbean nation. Romero specified that the military officer had been apprehended in March 2022 in the border region with Colombia.
The original charges included facilitating irregular entry of foreigners, conspiracy and criminal association. However, various civil monitoring groups have questioned the basis of these accusations. A committee specialising in the situation of those imprisoned for political reasons stated that the true reason for the detention would have been an alleged plot against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The case gained international notoriety due to its connection with a US citizen who was also deprived of liberty under similar circumstances. According to the non-governmental organisation representing the officer, the latter merely intended to help the foreigner locate his romantic partner, a resident in Venezuelan territory, and was not participating in any subversive manoeuvre.
During the period of imprisonment, the committee itself reported that the naval officer suffered serious violations, including forcible concealment of his whereabouts and physical ill-treatment. Following his release, the organisation demanded that the judicial authorities respect fundamental guarantees and award complete compensation for the damage caused.
Piña's release falls within a series of mass liberations that began in early 2024. Since then, approximately nine hundred detainees have regained their freedom, although activist groups estimate that more than four hundred individuals in comparable situations remain in prison.
Information compiled from La Razón
Source: Google News VE — Crime