Venezuelan Bolivarian National Police agents have arrested activist Martha Lía Grajales following her participation in a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in Caracas. The demonstration supported mothers of political prisoners.
Grajales, a member of the human rights collective SurGentes, was among over 50 women assaulted by pro-government paramilitaries, known as “colectivos,” on Tuesday, August 5th. That assault occurred during a vigil outside the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in the Venezuelan capital. Protesters were demanding the release of more than 800 political prisoners, most arrested after the controversial July 28, 2024, presidential elections.
The non-governmental organization Provea (Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights) reported the arrest via its official X account. Provea stated that agents forced Grajales into an unmarked gray van, and her current whereabouts remain unknown. The NGO, which faces recent threats from Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, condemned the action.
“Today she was arbitrarily detained after being a victim and publicly denouncing the aggressions against her and against the mothers of political prisoners. The cycle of re-victimization and impunity does not stop,” Provea declared. The organization held the Venezuelan state responsible for Grajales’s safety, integrity, and life.