Reinaldo Araujo, an activist for the Vente Venezuela party in Trujillo state, had been detained since January 9 during anti-government protests. His party announced that he passed away in custody, with concerns over his unaddressed health issues. Araujo’s wife criticized the authorities for neglecting his medical needs while he remained imprisoned. Party leader María Corina Machado blamed Maduro's government for Araujo’s death, highlighting that he was arrested while merely observing a protest. His plight is part of a broader pattern of human rights violations, with the Venezuelan Prison Observatory reporting 20 such fatalities in custody over recent years.
Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States, condemned the incident as another example of the regime's brutality, calling for an end to political imprisonment. The announcement of Araujo’s death comes amidst rising tensions around Maduro's recent re-election and subsequent protests by the opposition. The national electoral authority's controversial validation of Maduro’s victory has further fueled unrest, with reports of numerous arrests of protesters in the lead-up to the inauguration. Family members of detained individuals, including Rafael Tudares, have spoken out, claiming authorities are using political prisoners as leverage against opposition leaders in exile. The situation in Venezuela continues to draw international concern amid calls for accountability and justice for the political detainees.
