Emirlendris Benítez
Venezuelan political prisoner (born 1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emirlendris Carolina Benítez Rosales (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan merchant who has been described as a political prisoner.[1] In 2018, while pregnant, she was detained and accused of involvement in the attempt on the life of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. According to her family and human rights organisations, she has been subjected to torture during detention to the extent of suffering a miscarriage, and her pretrial detention has exceeded the three-year maximum established by Venezuelan law.[2][3]
Emirlendris Benítez | |
|---|---|
| Spanish: Emirlendris Carolina Benítez Rosales | |
| Born | 26 January 1981 |
| Occupation | Merchant |
| Known for | Detention in connection with the 2018 Caracas drone attack |
| Children | 2 |
The non-governmental organisation Foro Penal has classified Benítez as a political prisoner, and in 2022 the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations (UN) called for her immediate release, having concluded that her detention is arbitrary.[2][4]
Detention
On 5 August 2018, Benítez was accompanying her husband Jolmer Escalona on a taxi service trip, along with their dog Azabache,[5][6][7] when she was stopped at a police checkpoint in Portuguesa state. According to media reports, she was four months pregnant at the time.[2][3][8] After she was asked for and provided documents,[4] she and her husband were reportedly arrested without explanation and taken to Caracas.[9] According to multiple reports, during the transfer, police officers threw Azabache out of the vehicle window, allegedly to "prevent the police vehicle from getting dirty".[5][6][7]
Benítez was accused of participation in the drone attack against Nicolás Maduro the previous day, and was charged with attempted aggravated homicide, terrorism and treason.[9] She was held for one year at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) in Boleíta, Miranda state, and later transferred to the National Institute for Female Orientation (INOF) in Los Teques. According to her family and human rights groups, during her imprisonment Benítez has been the victim of torture, cruel and degrading treatment, to the point of suffering a miscarriage.[2][3] After the miscarriage, she was reportedly transferred under sedation to the Caracas Military Hospital, where she underwent a curettage procedure.[9]
According to reports, Benítez's health deteriorated during her detention. By December 2021 she had reportedly developed a fever, but the judge denied a request that she be transferred for medical attention. Reportedly suffering from a herniated disc and an infiltration of biopolymers in her buttocks, she has used a wheelchair due to intense pain. Sources allege that Benítez has been subjected to mockery and humiliation by prison authorities, who have allegedly forced her to walk. Her trial has been delayed and faced several obstacles.[9]
By 2022, Foro Penal had identified Benítez among 91 political prisoners in the country who remained held in pretrial detention in Venezuela for more than three years. Article 231 of the Venezuelan Organic Code of Criminal Procedure (as reformed) establishes that persons in pretrial detention must be released and tried in liberty once the maximum period of three years has elapsed.[4][10]
On 1 February 2022, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations (UN) called for the immediate release of Benítez. The Working Group concluded that her detention had been arbitrary, that Benítez had been detained without an arrest warrant, that she had not been informed of the reasons for her detention and that she had been held incommunicado. The group also called on the Venezuelan government to "grant her the effective right to obtain compensation and other forms of reparation, in accordance with international law".[2][4]
Personal life
Benítez has two children. According to reports, her elder daughter lives outside the country, having emigrated before her mother's detention, while her younger son lives with his father, who has cared for him during her detention.[2] The couple had a pet dog named Azabache; during her detention and transfer, police officers reportedly threw Azabache out of the vehicle window.[5][6][7]