Venezuelan trade unionist Orlando Ramírez released after one month of forced disappearance
Trade unionist Orlando Ramírez was released on a road between Lara and Yaracuy after a month in detention. His lawyer announced a complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Venezuelan trade unionist appears on western road after month of unknown whereabouts
Venezuelan trade unionist Orlando Ramírez was released in the early hours of Tuesday on a road between the states of Lara and Yaracuy, after remaining in detention for a month with no known whereabouts, infobae.com reported based on statements from lawyer Eduardo Torres.
"We have the good news for our people that the trade unionist from the transport sector Orlando Ramírez has been released. We do not know by whom, because he suffered arbitrary detention and forced disappearance", Torres stated in a video published on his X account.
According to the lawyer, Ramírez had been detained after participating in a protest in front of the Ministry of Transport in Caracas, where he was demanding labour rights. From that place of unknown confinement, he managed to communicate with colleagues to inform them that he had been abandoned on a road in the western part of the country. Torres confirmed that the trade unionist is now with his family members.
Torres announced that he will go with Ramírez to file a complaint with the Human Rights Directorate of the General Public Prosecutor's Office in Caracas. "This cannot be left like this, the officials who continue disappearing people and detaining them arbitrarily have to pay", he emphasised. He also noted that he expects to be received the following Thursday by the president of the Criminal Court Circuit of Caracas, John Parody, to address the case, after a habeas corpus petition was filed in court on Monday.
On Sunday, representatives of the National Trade Union Coalition had reported on social networks that they visited several detention centres and obtained no information about Ramírez's whereabouts. The NGO Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (Clipp) specified that, according to testimonies from colleagues and relatives, the trade unionist "had allegedly been detained after participating in a protest in front of the Ministry of Transport in Caracas".
The case is framed within a context of growing trade union mobilisation in Venezuela. Since January, groups of workers have led numerous demonstrations to demand wage improvements in light of the fall in purchasing power, with a minimum wage of 130 bolívares equivalent to 14 cents of a dollar monthly.
Source: Google News VE — Crime