Martha Lía Grajales

Martha Lía Grajales
Born
Colombia
CitizenshipVenezuela
OccupationHuman rights activist
SpouseAntonio González Plessmann

Martha Lía Grajales is a Colombian-born Venezuelan human rights activist.

Early life

Grajales was born in Colombia, on 16 March of 1980 and later became a naturalised citizen of Venezuela after moving to Caracas.[1]

Human rights activist

In Caracas, Grajales joined SurGentes, a collective that supported marginalised communities in Venezuela, in addition to documenting cases of alleged arbitrary detention and torture.[2][3] She married Antonio González Plessmann, a fellow SurGentes member.[3][4]

August 2025 arrest

Grajales publicly advocated for the release of political prisoners who had been detained following the contested 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, and joined the Committee of Mothers in Defence of the Truth (Comité de Madres en Defensa de la Verdad). On 5 August 2025, she participated in their vigil held in front of the Supreme Court of Justice in Caracas demanding a review of the investigations into political prisoners, as well as calling for their release. During the vigil, the group was attacked, including having phones and identity documents stolen, as well as their tents destroyed. Grajales attempted to file criminal complaints about the attack with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigation Corps, but both organisations refused to accept it.[5][6][7][8][9]

On 8 August 2025, Grajales was arrested by officers from the Criminal Investigations Division of the Bolivarian National Police after she left a demonstration by the Committee of Mothers in Defence of the Truth that had been held outside the United Nations' headquarters in Caracas to protest the attack on the group three days earlier. A relative of Grajales reported that she had been detained at a police checkpoint in Altamira, where she was asked for identification, which she had been unable to provide due to it having been previously confiscated at the vigil on 5 August. Grajales was subsequently reported to have been forced into an unmarked grey van which then drove away from the area.[5][6][7][8]

Grajales' whereabouts were initially unknown after her arrest, and several non-governmental organisations denounced her arrest, including PROVEA, which concluded that Grajales had been arbitrarily detained.[5][6][7][10] Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón demanded that Venezuelan authorities urgently provide confirmation and verification of Grajales' location, as well as assurances that her physical and mental health, as well as her fundamental rights, were being met.[6] On 11 August, around 100 people took part in a demonstration at the Kaikaishi Community Centre in La Vega expressing public support for Grajales and calling for her release. The Communist Party of Venezuela released a statement condemning Grajales' arrest.[11][12]

Internationally, Amnesty International called on the Venezuelan government to respect the "integrity, life and freedom" of Grajales and asked for transparency concerning the circumstances of her detention. The Workers' Left Front, an alliance of socialist political parties in Argentina, stated "this week in Venezuela, the repression against [the] opposition left has advanced", adding it "emphatically repudiates these repressive acts".[11][12]

On 9 August 2025, Marino Alvarado, a PROVEA activist, was denied a habeas corpus petition by the president of the Criminal Court Circuit of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas.[8] PROVEO, as well as Grajales' husband, had previously visited five detention centres around Caracas trying to locate Grajales.[8]

Grajales' location was unknown until 11 August 2025, when the Public Prosecutor's Office released a statement confirming that she had been arrested for "actions against Venezuelan institutions and the peace of the Republic".[8][10] It was confirmed Grajales was being detained at a detention centre in Maripérez, despite PROVEO and Grajales' husband having previously visited there while searching for her without being informed she was there.[8] Grajales was subsequently moved to a detention facility in Los Teques and was given state-appointed counsel despite requesting her own attorney.[9][13]

On 13 August 2025, Grajales was released from detention pending a trial.[3][14]

Response to arrest

Front Line Defenders condemned the "arbitrary detention" of Grajales and described it as an "attempt to stop her legitimate human rights work in Venezuela", calling for the charges against her to be dropped and for her immediate release.[8]

The Human Rights Research Centre also demanded Grajales' immediate release, describing her detention as being part of Venezuela's "crackdown on dissent [and] disregard for fundamental human rights".[13]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for Grajales' "immediate release" and that her family and lawyer should be told her location.[15]

References

  1. ^ Hernández Torres, Tania Alejandra (2025-08-12). "¿Quién es Martha Grajales, la activista colombiana capturada en Venezuela por el régimen Maduro?" [Who is Martha Grajales, the Colombian activist captured in Venezuela by the Maduro regime?]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Colombia. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  2. ^ "Martha Lía Grajales". Front Line Defenders. 2025-08-12. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  3. ^ a b c "El régimen de Maduro excarceló a la activista venezolana Martha Lía Grajales bajo medidas cautelares" [The Maduro regime released Venezuelan activist Martha Lía Grajales under precautionary measures]. Infobae (in Spanish). 2025-08-13. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  4. ^ "Antonio González Plessmann (Surgentes) por Venezuela: 'Estamos viviendo los dolores de parto de una dictadura'" [Antonio González Plessmann (Surgentes) on Venezuela: 'We are experiencing the birth pangs of a dictatorship']. Diario UChile. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Provea denuncia detención de activista de DDHH Martha Lía Grajales" [Provea denounces the arrest of human rights activist Martha Lía Grajales]. Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 2025-08-08. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  6. ^ a b c d "Activista Martha Grajales fue detenida tras actividad por madres de presos políticos" [Activist Martha Grajales was arrested after an activity by mothers of political prisoners]. Tal Cual (in Spanish). 2025-08-08. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  7. ^ a b c "PNB detuvo a la activista Martha Lía Grajales tras participar en protesta frente a la ONU" [Bolivarian National Police arrested activist Martha Lía Grajales after participating in a protest in front of the UN]. Monitoreamos (in Spanish). 2025-08-08. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Venezuela: Arbitrary detention of woman human rights defender Martha Lía Grajales". Front Line Defenders. 2025-08-12. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  9. ^ a b Krukov, Mark (2025-08-13). "Colombian-Venezuelan activist Martha Grajales charged in alleged conspiracy against Maduro government". Latin America Reports. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  10. ^ a b "Varias ONG reportaron la detención de Martha Lía Grajales, activista de Surgentes DD HH" [Several NGOs reported the arrest of Martha Lía Grajales, a Surgentes Human Rights activist]. El Diario (in Spanish). Venezuela. 2025-08-08. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  11. ^ a b "PCV exigen la aparición con vida de la activista Martha Grajales, detenida por PNB en Caracas" [PCV members demand the return of activist Martha Grajales, detained by the PNB in Caracas]. Monitoreamos (in Spanish). 2025-08-09. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  12. ^ a b "Diputados de izquierda en Argentina repudian la represión de Maduro y exigen la liberación de activista Martha Grajales" [Left-wing lawmakers in Argentina condemn Maduro's repression and demand the release of activist Martha Grajales]. Monitoreamos (in Spanish). 2025-08-09. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  13. ^ a b Khan, Aamnah Fatima (2025-08-18). "Venezuelan Human Rights Activist Martha Grajales Detained and Charged with Incitement to Hatred". Human Rights Research Centre. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  14. ^ Vogt, Jürgen (2025-08-13). "Aktivistin in Venezuela wieder frei: Menschenrechtlerin kann weiter mit den Müttern kämpfen" [Human rights activist can continue to fight with the mothers]. Taz (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  15. ^ "UN urges Venezuela to immediately release rights activist". Jamaica Observer. 2025-08-11. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
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