Maury Carrero Another Innocent kidnapped By Nasbly Kalinina/ @nasbly

Maury Carrero Another Innocent kidnapped

By Nasbly Kalinina/ @nasbly

On April 2, 2020, Maury Carrero was dragged away, without explanation, from her humble apartment in the quiet neighborhood of Baruta in Caracas, Venezuela. No explanation was given by the officers of the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). The arresting officers did not present any charges, nor did they have a warrant for her arrest, and they took all her cash on hand and some of her personal belongings, in the presence of her terrified parents.

These facts were documented a few hours later when Alfredo Romero, President of the NGO Foro Penal, posted his account of the abduction on Twitter and Instagram, including a video of Maury’s mother, María Eugenia, begging for any information about her daughter’s whereabouts. Foro Penal is an advocacy group for political prisoners in the Maduro government.

Ms. Carrero was last seen on April 3rd, in Federal District Court. Official charges have not been filed as of yet.

Nobody knows why she was arrested. Maury is a woman of principles and unwavering values. Until her disappearance, she had served her country working diligently as a public accountant for her home town in Baruta, a peaceful neighborhood within Caracas’ Greater Metropolitan Area. She is hard-working, a dedicated Catholic, and a member of the Legion of the Nazarene of Santa Rosa, where she has worked to educate underprivileged children. Maury lives with her parents and is their sole caretaker, due to their multiple medical problems such as osteoarthritis.

It is through her job with the local government that Ms. Carrero met Luis Somoza, who is the current director of Citizen Services of the National Assembly, an opposition group to the Maduro government. Eventually she became an esteemed colleague and close friend of Mr. Somoza. Nevertheless, Maury has never been actively interested in direct political participation. She has continually refused to join any political party.

According to Amnesty International’s definition, Maury is considered a political prisoner, in violation of her human rights and fundamental guarantees. She has not committed any crime. The legal process is unjust. She is being detained, allegedly because of her association with a political opposition activist.

Maury’s disappearance did not go unnoticed. Her family, friends, neighbors, several lawyers, and volunteers are advocating to regain her freedom. On Thursday, the 14th of May, Maury was transferred from DGCIM’s jail to another one called the National Institute for Women’s Guidance (INOF for its name in Spanish) without a judge’s order nor was any information sent to her lawyers. Her mother has not seen her since the day she was arrested and has not been allowed to give her any basic essentials such as a toothbrush and toothpaste. In Venezuela, the government does not provide for the inmates. They are expected to obtain their basic needs provided for by their families, friends, or good Samaritans.

Maury Carrero is a model citizen. There is no reason why she should be in prison, yet she is. Her family is worried about her safety while in jail because she is now in the midst of hardened criminals.

She is a political prisoner, imprisoned for no other reason than for her political beliefs.  I pray that more people join us to raise our voices to help this innocent person. Potentially any of us could end up in the same quandary for holding different views than the current government.  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.