It has been over six months since Santiago Guevara, a 65-year-old economist and professor who has taught at the University of Carabobo for the past 42 years, was arrested in Valencia, Venezuela.
According to the local newspapers, Santiago Guevara has been held in the headquarters of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) in Caracas and has lost more than 60 pounds of his body weight. His health is deteriorating rapidly.
The professor suffers from hypertension, diabetes, and inflammatory arthritis, all of which have not been properly treated and have been aggravated by Guevara's constant state of stress, his lawyer said.
Venezuelan authorities arrested Guevara on March 3, 2017 in apparent retaliation for opinion pieces he had written in Spanish newspapers. Guevara was later charged before a military court with “treason,” “incitement to rebellion,” and crimes against the “security and independence of the nation.”
Endangered Scholars Worldwide deplores the ongoing detention, persecution, and conviction of Professor Santiago Guevara and calls upon Venezuelan authorities, all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights of the academics and scholars to protest and condemn this arbitrary arrest; to call for Professor Guevara’s immediate and unconditional release; and to urge the officials of the Venezuelan government to respect, guarantee, and implement the provisions and principles of human rights as specified in international conventions and treaties to which Venezuela is party.
Endangered Scholars Worldwide urges you to sign the petition and appeal to Venezuelan Government.
Please send appeals to the following:
Bernardo Alvarez Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the United States 1099 30th St., NW Washington, DC 20007 Email: despacho.embveus@mppre.gov.ve Phone: (202) 342-2214
Rafael Ramirez Carreno Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations 335 East 46th Street New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212-557-3528 Email: misionvenezuelaonu@gmail.com
The Honorable Rex Tillerson Secretary of State US Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520