Caracas Chronicles

This article was originally published in Spanish in Efecto Cocuyo, and is shared by Caracas Chronicles thanks to the media partnership #VenezuelaVota and #LaHoraDeVenezuela. 

Daiber, Ángel, Bleider, Diomer, Miguel, Franyermi, Héctor and Yenderson. These are the names of the teenagers who remain detained in the Ciudad Caracas detention center, located in El Cementerio, Caracas. Named “the eight of Caracas,” these young people were not released from prison in the most recent round launched by order of the Public Ministry since last Friday, November 15. 

The relatives of these young people, mostly women, remain around the detention center every day waiting for some information that will give them hope. Last Saturday, November 16, it became known about the possibility of the release of one of the teenagers, but hours later his mother received a message from the defense attorney in the case: “This weekend there will be no releases in the Capital District,” the message read. 

However, the families of the detained teenagers remain hopeful and, after the recent releases and the statements of Attorney General Tarek William Saab, the mothers of “the Caracas Eight” assure that they will maintain the pressure to achieve the freedom of their kids, but also of all the people detained in the context of the post-election protests. 

Who are the Caracas Eight?

Daiber Lucena is 16 years old. He was arrested on July 31, 2024 while he was at his home, located in Los Jardines de El Valle. His mother, María Navas, declared that Lucena had been beaten by an officer so that he would make a video accusing himself of criminal acts that he did not commit. “All mothers ask and wait for some response about our relatives,” Navas said. Daiber was indicted with qualified theft, terrorism, resisting authority and inciting hatred. 

Ángel Moisés Ramírez was also arrested on July 31, around 10 in the morning. His mother, Neryda Ruiz, confirms that Ángel has not been physically abused during his detention. Ramírez is also 16 years old.

Bleider José Lever Herrera, 17 years old, is another of the teenagers arrested on July 31 around the Coche parish. His mother, Adelaida Herrera, assures that Bleider was tortured in the first days of his detention.

Diomer Gómez was imprisoned on August 2 in the Cacique Tiuna neighborhood. He was taken without an arrest warrant and was associated by the authorities to the July 29 protests. However, his sister, Dionexis García, assures that Diomer not only did not participate in these protests, but that the authorities, after almost four months after his detention, have not presented any evidence.

Miguel Alejandro Urbina spent his 17th birthday in prison. His mother, Theany Urbina, says he was detained at the doorstep of her house on August 2. Unlike other boys, Miguel has told his mother that he was a victim of cruel treatment and torture.

Franyermi Lara, 16 years old, was forced to record a video while detained in Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) in Caracas. He was arrested in Coche on August 11 and is also accused of terrorism, incitement to hatred and theft.

Héctor Hidalgo is the only one of the detained teenagers in Caracas who is already 18 years old. He was detained in Fuerzas Armadas Avenue in a checkpoint set up by armed civilians linked to the ruling party. His motorcycle disappeared. Héctor assures that he has never been interested in politics, but that he has currently been accused of receiving money from the Venezuelan opposition. He is also investigated for terrorism.

Yenderson Martínez is 17 years old and a student that worked as a barber during his free time. He was arrested in Los Teques on July 29 when security officials broke into the house of one of his friends. His relatives claim that they took him without an arrest warrant and that, since his arrest, not a single piece of evidence has been presented against him.

Who has been prosecuted so far?

Miguel Urbina, Ángel Moisés Ramírez, Daiber Lucena, Bleider José Level Herrera, Diomer Gómez and Franyermi Lara are the teenagers who were prosecuted in the first weeks of October. Without evidence against them, the prosecutors in these cases have decided to continue with the investigations into the young people. However, on November 12, in a private meeting, Tarek William Saab assured the relatives of the detained teenagers that the cases would be reviewed one by one to determine who is innocent.

The mothers’ demand is for the immediate release of the teenagers and that this occurs before December so they can spend Christmas with their family. However, these releases have not yet occurred, so the mothers have assured that they will continue to pressure and hope that Saab’s words are not empty promises. 

Between Friday, November 15 and Sunday, November 17, 131 people were released from prison, according to data verified by Foro Penal. However, the Venezuelan Public Ministry assures that the number of releases reaches 225 people.