Armed attack targets Copei leader's home in Venezuela

The Human Rights Foundation of the Llanos (Fundehullan) has reported an armed attack against the residence of Ricardo Pérez, a political leader of the social Christian party Copei, in the Ospino municipality of Portuguesa state.

Pérez shared audiovisual evidence showing projectile impacts on the exterior walls of his home and spent shell casings found at the scene. This marks the second attack on his residence in the last two years, with a similar incident reported in July 2024. Fundehullan stated that the event placed the activist's family at imminent risk and characterized it as part of a “repeated pattern of political persecution.”

The NGO has called upon the Public Ministry and the Scientific, Penal, and Criminalistic Investigation Corps (CICPC) to launch an investigation to determine both material and intellectual responsibility. They are also demanding urgent protective measures for Pérez and his family. The incident occurred amidst national opposition mobilizations calling for an electoral schedule for 2027 and the return of political leader María Corina Machado.