It was a respected profession, he said, and he graduated from the military academy in 2010. Juárez‘s job involved the inspection and maintenance of military aircraft.

“Everything was good until the corruption and the injustices,” Juárez said. “And because I was a low status officer, there was nothing I could do.”

He said the trouble started around 2013, when President Hugo Chávez died of cancer. Maduro, then vice president, took over the presidency and later won a special election. Food, gas and medicine became harder to come by, according to Juárez, and military officers were ordered to take part in corrupt political schemes. For example, he said, his superiors ordered him to follow the directions of a mayor involved in a scheme to sell overpriced insulin, propane and food to mine workers. Juárez said he tried to push back, but insubordination in the military was a crime.

“There is so much corruption — we would have to sit here for three hours talking about all the corruption,” said Juárez

Cumana recalled that she was “very worried” at the time.

Juárez recounted how problems escalated when superiors tried to pressure him to give positive inspection ratings to planes that he determined did not meet safety requirements. Juárez said his colleagues began to regard him as an opponent of the government, a dynamic that worsened after he wore a shirt that said Primero Justicia, meaning Justice First.