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Venezuelan deportees' families demand apology after earthquake deaths
🇩🇰 Denmark /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuelan deportees' families demand apology after earthquake deaths

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Relatives of Venezuelans deported from the U.S. are demanding an apology from the Venezuelan government after 146 deportees died in June earthquakes.
  • The deportees were held in a facility in La Guaira state when the earthquakes struck, and their families claim authorities prevented their evacuation.
  • A mother recounts finding her son's body in a chapel after a five-day search, criticizing the government's alleged negligence and demanding accountability for the deaths.

Families of Venezuelans deported from the United States are demanding an apology from the Venezuelan government, alleging negligence led to the deaths of 146 deportees during earthquakes in June. The group arrived in Venezuela on June 24 and were detained in La Guaira state when the seismic events occurred.

My son had neither a criminal record in the United States nor in Venezuela. Why did they (the authorities) carry out an illegal arrest?

— Oswadelis NunezThe mother of a deceased deportee questioned the legality of her son's detention and the circumstances surrounding his death.

Oswadelis Nunez, mother of 28-year-old Daniel Alejandro Nunez Ramirez, one of the victims, described how her son was stripped of his phone and belongings upon arrival and placed in an old building controlled by intelligence agents. "My son had neither a criminal record in the United States nor in Venezuela. Why did they (the authorities) carry out an illegal arrest?" she questioned, recounting her five-day search for her son's body, which she eventually found in a chapel.

Nunez stated that during the earthquakes, authorities prevented the detainees from leaving the building and had no evacuation plan. "We want moral reparation, an apology, (to know) why they did it, why it happened to our children," she said. The government's Instagram post indicated the group comprised 120 men, 19 women, and seven children.

We want moral reparation, an apology, (to know) why they did it, why it happened to our children.

— Oswadelis NunezThe mother expressed the families' demands for accountability and answers from the Venezuelan government.

Luz Maris Melendez, whose son Angelo David Mejia Melendez also died, asserted, "The government failed in its duty of care. They must be held accountable." The families plan to file both national and international complaints, seeking better deportation protocols and transparency regarding the number of deportees, survivors, and fatalities. They criticize the lack of information provided by the government following the disaster.

The government failed in its duty of care. They must be held accountable.

— Luz Maris MelendezAnother mother whose son died in the incident stated the government's responsibility and called for accountability.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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