Venezuela Court Sets Hearing on Linda Loaiza Rape Acquittal Appeal

A hearing is scheduled for 11 August 2026 before the Third Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Caracas to review the appeal against the acquittal for rape of Luis Antonio Carrera Almoina. The appeal is filed by the victim and human‑rights lawyer Linda Loaiza López Soto, who also represents the public prosecutor.

The case revisits a 2006 decision that cleared Carrera Almoina of rape despite his conviction for severe injuries and illegal deprivation of liberty. The review follows a 2016 ruling by the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court (TSJ) that ordered a different court to reconsider the appeals. Loaiza was kidnapped, tortured and sexually enslaved in 2001, and the prolonged litigation has drawn criticism of impunity in the Venezuelan justice system.