Venezuelans Hold Vigil to Honor Mother of Slain Political Prisoner

In Caracas, a poignant vigil was held to honor Carmen Teresa Navas, an 86-year-old mother who became a powerful symbol for the families of political prisoners in Venezuela. Her passing last Sunday, ten days after the state confirmed the death of her son, Víctor Quero Navas, who died in custody ten months prior, has galvanized activists and citizens. Attendees, dressed in white and holding candles, gathered in a Caracas plaza for a Catholic Mass, carrying signs that read "let them all be free, release the political prisoners" and "we are determined to have freedom, justice, memory, and respect."

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Let them all be free, release the political prisoners.

Carlos Azuaje, a campesino leader, spoke at the vigil, honoring Navas as the mother of all Venezuelans and demanding a thorough investigation into everyone involved in the custody chain of her son. He specifically called for the dismissal and investigation of the Minister for Penitentiary Service, Julio García, citing his alleged responsibility not only for Quero Navas's death but also for a riot in Yare prison in April that resulted in five deaths. Azuaje, himself a former detainee released in January, criticized the government for what he described as mocking families by announcing prisoner releases that have not materialized as promised, with fewer than fifty released against a promise of three hundred.

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We are determined to have freedom, justice, memory, and respect.

The Ministry of Penitentiary Service confirmed Víctor Hugo Quero Navas's death on May 7, sixteen months after his mother had reported him missing. The ministry stated he was imprisoned in El Rodeo I since January 3, 2025, and was transferred to a hospital on July 15, 2025, due to severe digestive bleeding and fever, eventually dying from respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism. This official account has been met with skepticism by numerous NGOs, political parties, and activists, who question the ten-month delay in reporting the death and the subsequent investigation announced by the state prosecutor's office. Carmen Teresa Navas herself passed away just two days before this vigil, having found strength in the support she received during a memorial mass for her son.

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The vigil was held in honor of Navas, whom he wanted to distinguish as the mother of all Venezuelans, as well as to demand that the entire chain of command involved in Quero Navas's custody be investigated.