The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Venezuela (Clippve) denounced the arbitrary detention of Ort Betancourt Villamizar, a 20-year-old student at the Antonio José de Sucre National Experimental Polytechnic University (Unexpo) in Guarenas, who was participating in the union march held this Thursday, April 9.
The NGO points out that security agents detained the young man around El Venezolano Square, in the center of the capital, while he accompanied the peaceful mobilization of workers demanding better wages.
Betancourt Villamizar is active in Primero Justicia in the Zamora municipality of Miranda state. Human rights organizations confirmed his identity and warned that, until the last hours of this Thursday, his exact whereabouts were unknown.
Clippve demanded the immediate release of the student, respect for due process and the guarantee of his physical integrity. The organization described the event as part of a recurring policy of repression against protesters.
Other entities joined the complaint on social networks. Aula Abierta, an organization dedicated to the defense of human rights in the university environment, ratified the alert and highlighted the vulnerability of students to these actions.
The Peace Laboratory also requested information about the young man and condemned the practice of arbitrary arrests in the midst of peaceful protests.
Leaders of Primero Justicia warned about the responsibility of the security agencies in the integrity of the detainee. As of the closing of this note, there is no official statement from the authorities on the case.
Civil society organizations reiterated their call to the authorities to cease these actions and guarantee the right to peaceful demonstration.
