Venezuelan Activist Rocío San Miguel Arrested on Suspicion of Conspiracy

Prominent Venezuelan human rights activist Rocío San Miguel has been detained by Venezuelan officials. Ms San Miguel, a vocal critic of President Nicolás Maduro's government, was taken into custody on Friday and her whereabouts remain undisclosed. The prosecutor general, a close ally of President Maduro, has accused Ms San Miguel of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the president. However, the government has provided very few details about the supposed plot. Ms San Miguel is a 57-year-old expert on defense issues and leads the Control Ciudadano NGO, which advocates for civilian oversight of Venezuela's armed forces. Following her arrest, rights activists raised concerns about her well-being and her lawyer stated that she had not been informed of any charges against her. It took two days for the prosecutor-general to officially confirm her arrest and the charges against her. According to him, the plot, referred to as "White Armband," aimed to kill President Maduro, high-ranking officials, and military units in San Cristóbal. This arrest follows a wave of detentions of government critics accused of similar plots to assassinate President Maduro. The government is preparing to announce the date for the upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled for later this year. However, rights groups argue that instead of progress, setbacks have occurred since the agreement was made, such as the Supreme Court upholding a ban preventing the main opposition candidate, María Corina Machado, from participating in the election. Ms Machado and her Vente Venezuela party have been accused of being part of the alleged plot against President Maduro. In the past, she has denounced the arrests as a campaign to intimidate her and suppress opposition to the president, who has been in power since 2013.