Aranza Hernández released after nearly a year of detention in Venezuela

Venezuelan authorities freed 19‑year‑old Aranza Hernández Castillo in June 2026 after she had been held without a judicial order since November 2025. She was arrested by the Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar (DGCIM) and accused of involvement in the so‑called Plaza Venezuela case, a charge linked only to her brother, Lieutenant Christian Hernández, a dissident officer now seeking asylum in the United States. During her confinement in a basement cell at the DGCIM headquarters and later at the Las Crisálidas women’s prison, Hernández reported physical and psychological torture, describing the space as a “tiny kennel with four bars.” Her sister Samantha, 16, had been released earlier, while their uncle Henry Castillo remains detained. Human‑rights groups labeled the arrests a case of Sippenhaft, collective retaliation against family members of perceived opponents. On 12 June 2026, the NGO Foro Penal also announced the release of Ana Zoris Gutiérrez Torres, a cousin of Captain Antonio Sequea, who had been imprisoned since September 2025 in connection with the same Plaza Venezuela investigation. Both releases were reported by Venezuelan human‑rights organisations as part of a broader pattern of arbitrary detentions following the 2024 elections and the 2025 government takeover.