The non-governmental organization Surgentes reported this Monday that its co-director, Martha Lía Grajales, remains under investigation by the Public Ministry, despite having been arrested.benefited from an amnesty measure last February 22.
Through a statement on its social network
“The 52nd National Prosecutor’s Office informed the co-director of Surgentes (…) on April 10, 2026, that her phone and passport would not be returned to her until the investigations on them were completed,” the organization indicated.
According to Surgentes, this decision responds to higher directives within the organization. In that sense, he stated that it is an order from “higher authorities.”
The NGO questioned that these actions occurred despite the amnesty granted by a court. “This occurs despite the fact that Martha Lía was amnestied on February 22, 2026 by the First Control Court with jurisdiction over crimes associated with terrorism, with which the Prosecutor’s Office is violating the principle of res judicata and once again subjecting the human rights defender to a criminalization process,” he said.
The Grajales case dates back to August 2025, when She was arrested after participating in an activity in support of relatives of political prisoners in front of the United Nations headquarters in Caracas. Since then, defense organizations have denounced irregularities in the process, including accusations based on “cyber patrolling” of the NGO’s website as the only evidence.
Surgentes recalled that, days before her arrest, the activist had been the victim of attacks along with relatives of detainees during a vigil in front of the Supreme Court of Justice, where – according to complaints – parapolice groups acted.
“On the orders of former prosecutor Tarek William Saab, prosecutor 52 made an accusation against the human rights defender, without any type of evidence, for very serious crimes: conspiracy with a foreign government, association to commit a crime and incitement to hatred,” the organization stated.
According to the statement, the judicial file is based on a police analysis of content published on the Surgentes website, which, in the opinion of the NGOconstitutes an arbitrary interpretation of the exercise of fundamental rights.
Irregularities in the investigation
Likewise, the organization denounced that the process presents defects that affect due process, considering that the investigation includes elements obtained after violent events. In that sense, he pointed out that Grajales’ phone – incorporated as evidence – was stolen during an attack perpetrated by vigilante groups, which, according to what they indicate, shows possible irregularities in the actions of the security agencies.
Given this situation, Surgentes announced that he will take the case to internal bodies of the Public Ministry and the Ombudsman’s Office, while requesting the Attorney General, Larry Devoe, to review the agency’s actions.
With information from Efe.
