Óscar Castañeda
Óscar Castañeda | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Political activism in Venezuela |
Óscar Castañeda is a Venezuelan opposition activist. He was arrested in April 2024 in Portuguesa state alongside two other activists, after a campaign rally for opposition leader María Corina Machado, and held for more than a year and a half before his release in early 2026.
Background
[edit]Castañeda had migrated to Colombia during the Venezuelan crisis and returned to Venezuela on 9 April 2024.[1][2][3] After returning he joined the opposition party Vente Venezuela.[4]
Arrest
[edit]On 26 April 2024 Castañeda spoke in support of Machado at a rally in Turén, a Portuguesa town historically aligned with chavismo.[1][2] He was arrested the following day by officers of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN); two further Machado campaigners in the state were detained over the next 24 hours.[2][5][6][7] According to political scientist Nicmer Evans, Castañeda and his fellow detainees were charged with conspiracy.[8] The three were brought before courts in Acarigua.[3]
Shortly after the arrests, pro-government commentators focused on the cap Castañeda had worn at the rally, which displayed the initials "JGL"—a reference to the "JGL 701" brand created by a daughter of "El Chapo" Guzmán. The line was discontinued in 2023, but unauthorised imitations sold in Colombia and Mexico had become a fashion item associated with corrido tumbado music; Venezuelan fact-checkers concluded that the cap was not evidence of any criminal link.[9][10][11]
The NGO Foro Penal reported that the court refused to allow the detainees to appoint their own defence counsel.[12]
Reactions
[edit]The opposition Unitary Platform condemned the arrests in Portuguesa and demanded the activists' immediate release.[13][14] The United States also condemned the detentions; Brian A. Nichols, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said they undermined "an inclusive electoral process" and called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.[15]
On 30 April 2024, 31 Venezuelan non-governmental organisations issued a joint statement rejecting the arrests and arguing that the government's "persecution and repression" breached the 2023 Barbados Agreement between the government and the opposition.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Rivas, Bianile (28 April 2024). "Portuguesa: Cuerpos de seguridad detienen a dos dirigentes del comando de María Corina Machado". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 "La dictadura de Maduro detuvo a tres activistas opositores tras la exitosa gira de María Corina Machado por el estado Portuguesa". Infobae (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- 1 2 Reyes, Iván (30 April 2024). "Detenidos en Portuguesa tras acto de Machado fueron presentados en tribunales de Acarigua". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "Detienen a dos integrantes del comando de campaña Con Venezuela en Portuguesa". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "Régimen detuvo a Víctor Castillo en Portuguesa". EVTV (in Spanish). 28 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ↑ "Denuncian la detención del coordinador de comando de Vente Venezuela del municipio Santa Rosalía en Portuguesa". VPItv (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ↑ Cambero, Luis Daniel (29 April 2024). "Vente Venezuela denuncia la detención de dos nuevos activistas en Portuguesa". El Impulso (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ↑ Méndez, Rosalie (29 April 2024). "Régimen habría imputado a activistas detenidos en Portuguesa con cargos de conspiración". EVTV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "Usaron un espantapájaros para desviar la atención de la detención de Oscar Castañeda". Cazadores de Fake News (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ↑ "¿Qué sabemos de Oscar Castañeda, detenido tras hablar en un acto de María Corina Machado en Turén?". EsPaja (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ↑ Torres, Karla (16 May 2024). "María Corina Machado no publicó en X que El Chapo Guzmán "ha hecho más que Nicolás Maduro"". Cotejo.info (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ↑ Rodríguez Rosas, Ronny (29 April 2024). "Foro Penal denuncia que no permitieron defensa de dirigentes detenidos en Portuguesa". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "Plataforma Unitaria condenó la detención de los tres activistas de Portuguesa". EVTV (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ↑ "La oposición acusó al régimen de Maduro de mantener una cruzada intimidatoria tras la detención de otros tres dirigentes". Infobae (in Spanish). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ Soteldo, Eduardo (29 April 2024). "Estados Unidos condena últimos arrestos de opositores en Venezuela". El Impulso (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ↑ "Más de 30 ONG denunciaron que los actos de persecución y represión en Venezuela violan el Acuerdo de Barbados". Infobae (in Spanish). 1 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
