Outside the US embassy in Caracas
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The families say they will not end the protest until they are received by United States diplomatic officials.
By Efecto Cocuyo
HAVANA TIMES — Relatives of political prisoners have now maintained a vigil for nearly 20 hours after gathering around the US Embassy in Venezuela to demand the release of their loved ones.
Since the night of Sunday, June 7, despite heavy rain, the group has remained near the diplomatic mission, calling for a meeting with the US chargé d’affaires in Venezuela, John Barrett.
The families condemned the transfer of political prisoners on Wednesday, June 3, from El Helicoide to other detention facilities across the country without prior notification and without any official information regarding which prisons they were being sent to.
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In a video shared on social media by journalist Jesus Gutierrez, Francis Quiñones, mother of political prisoner Jonathan Franco Quiñones, who was detained in connection with the Gedeon case, said authorities continue to mock the families of political prisoners.
“Just a few minutes ago, a security official from the embassy spoke with us and said he would pass along all of our concerns to the person in charge (Barrett),” she said.
They Will Not Leave Until They Are Received
Quiñones said the group will remain outside the embassy until they are granted a meeting with the senior US official stationed in Venezuela. She added that they plan to set up tents and spend the night there as a form of protest.
“We’re going to put up some tents. Last night we stayed out in the open under the rain, and we could get sick. We’re going to do everything we can,” said the mother of the imprisoned military officer.
Family members also reported that during the first hours of the protest, residents of the Valle Arriba neighborhood showed solidarity by providing them with food. “We had to take shelter at a bus stop because the rain wouldn’t stop,” one relative said.
In Venezuela, non-governmental organizations estimate that more than 600 people remain behind bars for political reasons, despite repeated promises by the interim authorities to release them.
First published in Spanish by Efecto Cocuyo and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.
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