Detainees in Incommunicado Detention in Venezuela

All case descriptions are based on accounts by a relative of the detainee. Whenever possible, Human Rights Watch and CLIPPVE also reviewed complaints that corroborated the testimonies. The cases Human Rights Watch and CLIPPVE documented represent only a fraction of the total number of people arbitrarily detained in Venezuela.

The descriptions of the cases were last updated on September 12, 2025.

Name	Role	Date of arrest	Last visit or communication with family	Charges	Case description
Freddy Superlano Click to expand Image	National Coordinator of Voluntad Popular. Former candidate for governor of Barinas	July 30, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, incitement to hatred, treason, conspiracy to commit a crime and criminal association	Hooded men in black took him in Caracas. For days, his wife searched detention centers. On August 6, a SEBIN officer at Helicoide admitted that he was held there, although officers had denied it previously. He has had no direct contact with his family. The family has only received handwritten notes and dirty clothes.
Roland Carreño Click to expand Image	National leader of Vente Venezuela. Journalist	August 2, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Financing of terrorism, treason, criminal association	SEBIN officials detained him in Caracas. For two days his relatives were unaware of his whereabouts until an official confirmed that he was being held at El Helicoide. Since then, his family has not been able to see him and have only received notes in which he requests personal items. Since August 31, 2025, there has been no information on his whereabouts. It is presumed that he was transferred along with Freddy Superlano. Carreño had already been arbitrarily detained between 2020 and 2023.
Perkins Rocha Click to expand Image	Legal coordinator of Vente Venezuela	August 27, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, incitement to hatred, treason, conspiracy to commit a crime and criminal association	Hooded men seized him by a pharmacy in Caracas. Two days later, his wife learned through a public defender that he was held at Helicoide. She has had no communication with him nor received information on his health status. The family has only received handwritten notes and dirty clothes.
Biagio Pilieri Click to expand Image	National coordinator of the political party Convergencia. Journalist. Member of the opposition’s campaign team	August 28, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, incitement to hatred, treason, conspiracy to commit a crime, and criminal association	SEBIN agents ambushed him after a Comando con Venezuela event in Caracas and detained him. His son and another passenger were released, but Pilieri and the person driving the car remain at Helicoide. His family learned his location only through the GPS on his son’s phone. Prison staff have only offered vague health updates. The family has only received handwritten notes and dirty clothes.
Alfredo Diaz Click to expand Image	Former governor of the Nueva Esparta state. Leader of the opposition party Acción Democrática	November 24, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Incitement to hatred, financing of terrorism and criminal association	SEBIN officers removed him from a bus bound for Colombia. He managed to send a text message to his family saying he was going to be questioned. Since then, his relatives have not been able to speak with him. On November 28, guards at El Helicoide accepted his personal belongings, confirming he was being held there. Since then, receiving his belongings each time has been the only reassurance the family has.
Nahuel Gallo Click to expand Image	First corporal in the Argentine Gendarmerie (Argentinien federal security force)	December 8, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, financing terrorism, conspiracy and criminal association	Venezuelan authorities arrested him after crossing to Venezuela from Colombia to visit his wife and son. His family knows he is in Rodeo I thanks to some pictures shared on media outlets and testimonies of foreign deteinees that have been released, but they never saw ot talked to him. Argentine authorities have been denied consular access.
Jesús Armas Click to expand Image	Member of the oppossition’s campaign team. Former Caracas councilman	December 10, 2024	December 16	Financing terrorism, conspiracy, trason and criminal association	Six hooded men seized him outside a Caracas coffee shop. His family visited detention centers and tried to file habeas corpus petitions, but authorities refused to confirm his whereabouts. Six days later, Armas called his partner from the Zona 7 detention center asking for food and clothes. He revealed that he had been held in an unofficial SEBIN site where officers suffocated him during interrogation. Later he was transferred to Helicoide and his family has lost contact ever since.
Luis Palocz Click to expand Image	Political leader and activist from Chacao, Caracas. Member of the opposition's campaign team	December 14, 2024	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, incitement to hatred, foreign financing, conspiracy, and criminal association	Eight hooded men in black beat him outside a restaurant and forced him into a white car. He remained missing for six days while his family filed complaints and searched detention centers. On December 20, SEBIN officials at Helicoide told his partner that he had been transferred there. Occasional handwritten notes requesting personal items are their only proof he is alive.
Rafael Tudarez	Son-in-law of opposition leader Edmundo González	January 7, 2025	No visits or calls since the arrest	Treason, conspiracy and criminal association	Hooded men intercepted him while he was taking his 7- and 8-year-old children to school, yanked him from his vehicle, and left the children on the street. His wife searched detention centers in Caracas and nearby areas, but authorities repeatedly denied holding him, at times providing misleading information about his whereabouts.
Enrique Marquez	2024 presidential candidate for the opposition minority party that rejected the announced results	January 7, 2025	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism	Unidentified men seized him as he tried to get into his car and forced him into a private vehicle. His family did not know his whereabouts. Only ten days later, a third party informed them that he was held at Helicoide. He has remained in incommunicado detention. The only communication comes through brief notes, which have become increasingly scarce.
Noel Álvarez Click to expand Image	National Coordinator of Gente. Former president of Fedecámaras. Member of the opposition's campaign team	January 10, 2025	February 6	Terrorism, incitement to hatred, conspiracy	Hooded men in four unidentified vehicles detained him at a friend’s house. He managed too sent an audio message to his family as he was being arrested. His family spent days visiting detention centers, and on February 4 a family member learned that he was being held at Helicoide, where his son saw him. Since then, his family has had no contact or information. He frequently requests medication, and the only proof of life comes from occasional handwritten notes and dirty clothes.
Luis Somaza Click to expand Image	Opposition leader of Voluntad Popular	February 12, 2025	No visits or calls since the arrest	Rebellion and conspiracy to commit a crime	Five hooded, heavily armed men dragged him from his home into an car. Fifteen days later, the public defender told the family that he was held at Helicoide. Authorities have denied him a private lawyer. Despite repeated requests, his family has had no direct contact. The only proof of life comes from notes requesting personal items and stained clothes his sister recognizes because of his chronic inflammatory illness.
Eduardo Torres Click to expand Image	Lawyer of the human rights organization Provea	May 9, 2025	No visits or calls since the arrest	Terrorism, conspiracy, treason, and criminal association	He called his wife saying he was returning home after a meeting but he never arrived. His family called him all afternoon and night and searched detention centers, hospitals, and morgues the next day. Five days later, Attorney General Tarek Saab publicly announced his arrest without revealing his whereabouts. Two days later, his wife learned that he was held at Helicoide. They have not had no other contact since his arrest than handwritten notes.

Update: After this report was sent to press, a relative was able to visit Josnars Baduel in jail and Eduardo Torres was transferred to the Yare prison in Miranda state.