Venezuelan families hold vigil for Carmen Navas, demand release of political prisoners

Citizens gathered on Friday in Caracas’ Plaza Los Palos Grandes for a candlelit vigil honoring 86‑year‑old Carmen Teresa Navas, who has become a symbol for families of political detainees in Venezuela. The ceremony included a Catholic mass, white shirts, and signs calling for the liberation of all political prisoners, noting that more than 500 individuals remain incarcerated.

Community leader Carlos Azuaje, a recently freed activist, used the event to demand a full investigation into the chain of command responsible for the death of Navas’s son, Victor Hugo Quero Navas, who died in state custody after a year of disappearance. He also called for the resignation and inquiry into Prison Service Minister Julio García. Authorities announced a criminal investigation into the case, while human‑rights groups and opposition parties condemned the delayed notification of the prisoner's death.