The brutal regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela has come under intense scrutiny following reports of widespread abuses against children and teenagers involved in anti-government protests. According to reports by Christian K. Caruzo in Breitbart and a recent investigation by Amnesty International, Venezuela’s authoritarian government detained 129 minors among more than 1,500 people arrested in July and August 2024 after protests erupted over the controversial, rigged elections where Maduro refused to concede to opposition leader Edmundo González.
The Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal reports that the detained minors, aged 12 to 18, were among a broad group of political prisoners that also included indigenous people, women, and individuals with disabilities. These arrests have drawn global condemnation, particularly as disturbing accounts of abuse and torture surface.
One particularly harrowing story involves 15-year-old Miguel Urbina, whose mother, Theany Urbina, revealed that her son was subjected to severe torture while in custody. She recounted that authorities electrocuted Miguel, forcing him to record a video falsely claiming he was paid to destroy a police station. When he resisted, he was beaten, and authorities used a tear gas canister in a bag to further torment him. “They made him hold a charged electric device and beat him,” she said in an interview with Voz da América.
Amnesty International’s latest report, released on November 28, confirms the use of torture and intimidation tactics by Maduro’s regime against political dissidents. Despite the regime’s claim that these arrests were justified, the treatment of minors has sparked outrage worldwide.
In a shocking move, Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Interior Minister and a key figure in the regime, admitted to the arrests of minors but deflected blame to the parents of those detained. He questioned why parents allowed their children to join protests, calling it a failure of parenting rather than a result of government repression. “Where were those parents… allowing their children to attend protests? Why didn’t they care for their kids?” Cabello remarked.
The Maduro government’s crackdown on political opposition has led to increased calls for international intervention and a reassessment of the Venezuelan regime’s human rights record. These reports of abuse against minors underscore the extent of the regime’s violent repression, adding to the growing list of human rights violations that have come to define Maduro’s tenure.
As global awareness of the situation rises, the world continues to watch for any steps the international community might take to hold Maduro’s government accountable for its actions.
