Roberto Marrero

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Template:Spanish name Roberto Eugenio Marrero Borjas is a Venezuelan attorney and politician, chief of staff to Juan Guaidó and attorney to Leopoldo López.

Marrero was arrested by SEBIN during a raid on his home in the early morning hours of 21 March,[1] and detained in El Helicoide, a prison run by SEBIN and "considered the country's largest torture center" according to Clarín.[2] He was accused of terrorism and involvement in the 2019 Venezuelan blackout.[3] Néstor Reverol, Interior Minister, said Marrero was part of a "terrorist cell" that was planning to attack government officials.[4]

During the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, the US had repeatedly warned Maduro not to go after Guaidó; Haaretz reported that the arrest of Guaidó's number-two person was a test of the US.[1]

Personal life

Roberto Eugenio Marrero Borjas[5] founded the Human Rights Chair at Santa Maria University.[6] As of March 2019, he is 49 years old.[7]

Political career

When Carlos Vecchio was prohibited from running in the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary elections, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Spanish: Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, MUD) solicited the National Electoral Council to accept Marrero as the candidate for Monagas state.[8] Representing the Popular Will (Spanish: Voluntad Popular) political party, Marrero served as secretary in 2016 for the Venezuelan National Assembly.[6]

According to El Tiempo, Marrero has been working for "years behind the big names of the Venezuelan party Popular Will (VP), outlawed and fiercely persecuted by the regime of Nicolás Maduro."[9] A personal friend of the founder of the Popular Will party, political prisoner Leopoldo López, Marrero was a member of the party's leadership.[9] El Tiempo says he "is considered, by his party colleagues, as one of its main political operators, one of the channels of information closest to Lopez and appointed by him to be a right-hand man, caretaker and advisor to ... Juan Guaidó".[9]

Arrest and detention

External audio
audio icon Marrero audio message during his arrest, from El País, retrieved on 22 March 2019

In the early morning of 21 March 2019, SEBIN officials first broke into the home of Marrero's neighbor, National Assembly deputy Sergio Vergara.[10] Vergara said there were at least 40 SEBIN officials with long arms in 12 vehicles;[a] the officials had Vergara on the floor, asking him where Marrero lived, a question he says he did not answer.[10] Vergara reported that the agent's faces were covered; they held him for several hours although he informed them that he had parliamentary immunity.[4] Vergara said he heard the officials breaking into Marrero's apartment next door. After about three hours between both apartments,[10] the officials took Marrero and Vergara's driver, Luis Aguilar.[12] Marrero's bodyguard, Luis Alberto Paéz, was also arrested.[13] Vergara says that as he was being taken away, Marrero shouted to him that the officials had planted a grenade and two rifles.[10][14]

Marrero was able to send an audio message before he was taken away, saying:[15]

Guaidó said on 21 March that Marrero's whereabouts were not known.[12] The Guardian says Marrero was taken to El Helicoide;[13] Joel Garcia, Marrero's attorney, said that although he had not been able to see Marrero, he was certain that Marrero was at El Helicoide.[11][2]

El Tiempo said that, because of his closeness to both Guaidó and López, there was concern for Marrero's life; Fernando Albán Salazar died after being detained by SEBIN in what his party says was a result of torture, while officials labeled it a suicide.[9]

Reactions

Guaidó called it a "vile and vulgar kidnapping", adding "Either Nicolas Maduro doesn't dare to arrest me, or he's not the one giving orders."[4] According to The Wall Street Journal, Guaidó said he had received calls from security force officials disclaiming any involvement in the arrest; he replied that they need say no more, per the 2019 Venezuelan Amnesty Law; he said the "incident was indicative of divides within the Maduro regime".[11]

Hugo Carvajal, the head of Venezuela's military intelligence for ten years during Hugo Chávez's presidency and "one of the government's most prominent figures",[16] said that Maduro had two objectives with the "political kidnapping": 1) to "test the international threats against the dictatorship", and 2) to create a distraction to cover the recent revelations from Ronald Dugarte. Dugarte was formerly with Venezuela's military counterintelligence, and told the Organization of American States (OAS) that political prisoners – both civilians and members of the armed forces – are tortured, and that intelligence work is directed by Cubans in Venezuela.[17]

US special envoy for Venezuela Elliot Abrams said there will be consequences for the five individuals involved in Marrero's arrest.[18][b] US Secretary of State Pompeo tweeted that the US "will hold accountable those involved".[13] US Senator Marco Rubio said that Maduro's forces were testing the international response, "to calculate how & when to arrest Guaido".[12] US national security advisor John Bolton stated that "Maduro has made another big mistake" that "will not go unanswered".[19]

OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro asked for proof from the Venezuelan government that Marrero was alive.[20] The Lima Group – including Argentina, Brazil and Canada – condemned the arrest.[11] Paraguay's Chancellery tweeted that it condemned the illegal detention and demanded an end to human rights violations in Venezuela.[21] Juan Carlos Varela, President of Panama, said the country would take concrete measures against Maduro's regime if Marrero is not released.[22] Iván Duque Márquez, Colombia's President, called the incident a "vile aggression" and said the international community should "condemn the criminal persecution of the dictatorship".[23]

Michelle Bachelet, chief of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called on Maduro to reveal Marrero's location.[14]

Germany expressed repudiation for the arbitrary detention, saying it only intensified the conflict, and asked for guarantees of Marrero's safety.[24] Canada's Chrystia Freeland said Marrero had been "illegally detained by the Maduro regime. Intimidation and fear will not stop the return of democracy to #Venezuela. Those responsible must be held accountable."[25]

Reuters described the arrest and detention as part of "an escalating crackdown by President Nicolas Maduro against his opponents".[19] USA Today described it as a kidnapping.[12] The New York Times said the arrest resulted in a "significant escalation of the country’s political crisis".[14] Bloomberg said Maduro was pressuring Guaidó, and "testing the commitment of foreign governments to protecting him".[4]

Luis Salamanca, a Central University of Venezuela political scientist told The New York Times that Maduro was "raising the government's bargaining power in any future negotiations over the transfer of power ... but at the same time they are preparing escape routes if their ability to govern deteriorates further.”[14] A risk consultant for London's IHS Markit, Diego Moya-Ocampos, said to Bloomberg that "the regime is testing the international community and its repeated warnings against laying a hand on Maduro's rival [Guaidó] ... if they can’t touch him, they'll go after those close to him."[4] Nicholas Watson of Teneo Intelligence told The Wall Street Journal that "Marrero's arrest looks like a desperate attempt to break Guaidó's momentum .. The weakness in the regime's position is visible in the fact that arresting Guaidó himself would be seen as a step too far."[11] Phil Gunson, analyst at the think tank International Crisis Group, said: “Maduro is essentially calling Trump’s bluff ... [he has] concluded that the military option is a very remote possibility. If he doesn’t see a meaningful response, he would be tempted to take the next step and jail Mr. Guaidó himself.”[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Wall Street Journal reports 15 SEBIN officials.[11]
  2. ^ The BBC names them as Carol Padilla, prosecutors Farid Mora Salcedo y Dinora Bustamante, and SEBIN officials Dani Contreras and Ángel Flores.[18] El Universal names the same people as Carol Padilla, Farik Mora y Dinorah Bustamante.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Venezuela detains top aide to Guaido in test of Trump's red line". Haaretz. Reuters. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b "El jefe de gabinete de Juan Guaidó estaría detenido en El Helicoide, la prisión más temida de Venezuela" [Juan Guaidó's chief of staff would be detained in El Helicoide, the most feared prison in Venezuela]. Clarin (in Spanish). 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  3. ^ Garcia, Jacobo (21 March 2019). "La policía venezolana detiene de madrugada al jefe de Gabinete de Guaidó" [Venezuelan police arrest the head of the Guaidó Cabinet at dawn]. El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rosati, Andrew and Patricia Laya (21 March 2019). "Venezuela police detain Guaido's chief of staff after raid". Bloomberg – via ProQuest. Also available online with a subscription.
  5. ^ "AN desaprueba Decreto 2.184 sobre emergencia económica". La Patilla (in Spanish). 23 January 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b Ramos, Gabriel (21 March 2019). "Perfil: Roberto Marrero: El fundador de la cátedra de DDHH en la USM que detuvo el Sebin" [Profile: Roberto Marrero: The founder of the Human Rights Chair at the USM who was stopped by Sebin]. El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Venezuela crisis: Guaidó aide faces terrorism charges". BBC. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Unidad exige al CNE oficializar candidatura de Roberto Marrero en Monagas" [MUD demands the CNE to formalize the candidacy of Roberto Marrero in Monagas]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 4 December 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Lares Martiz, Valentina (21 March 2019). "¿Quién es Marrero, el aliado de Guaidó detenido por régimen de Maduro?" [Who is Marrero, the ally of Guaidó arrested by the Maduro regime?]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Sebin detuvo a Roberto Marrero y allanó vivienda del diputado Sergio Vergara" [SEBIN detained Roberto Marrero and raided the home of deputy Sergio Vergara]. El Universal (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e Vyas, Kejal (21 March 2019). "Venezuela intelligence police detain top opposition aide; Arrest threatens to raise tensions and provoke U.S. punitive measures". Wall Street Journal – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ a b c d Shesgreen, Deirdre (21 March 2019). "Venezuelan forces kidnap opposition leader Juan Guaido's chief of staff in raid". USA Today. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Parkin Daniels, Joe (21 March 2019). "Juan Guaidó's chief of staff arrested by Venezuelan agents". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Venezuela crisis escalates as Guaido's chief of staff is arrested". New York Times. 21 March 2019 – via ProQuest. Also available online with subscription.
  15. ^ "Audios de Roberto Marrero en el momento en que el Sebin allana su casa" [Audios from Roberto Marrero in the moment SEBIN raids his home]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  16. ^ Herrero, Ana Vanessa and Nicholas Casey (22 February 2019). "Venezuela's Ex-Spy Chief Breaks With Maduro: 'You Have Killed Hundreds'". New York Times (Late Edition (East Coast) ed.). p. A.6 – via ProQuest. Also available online.
  17. ^ "Hugo Carvajal asegura que el 'secuestro' de Marrero tiene dos objetivos para Maduro" [Hugo Carvajal assures that Marrero's 'kidnapping' has two objectives for Maduro]. Tal Cual Digital. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  18. ^ a b "La respuesta de Estados Unidos a la detención en Venezuela de Roberto Marrero, la mano derecha de Juan Guaidó: habrá consecuencias 'inmediatas y duras'" [The response of the United States to the arrest in Venezuela of Roberto Marrero, the right hand of Juan Guaidó: there will be 'immediate and hard' consequences]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  19. ^ a b Sequera, Vivian and Angus Berwick (21 March 2019). "Venezuela detains top aide to Guaido in move U.S. calls 'big mistake'". Reuters. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  20. ^ Pipoli, Renzo (21 March 2019). "Guaido says Venezuelan agents kidnapped his chief of staff". UPI. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Paraguay condena el secuestro de Roberto Marrero" [Paraguay condemns the kidnapping of Roberto Marrero]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Panamá tomará medidas concretas contra el régimen de Maduro si no libera a Roberto Marrero" [Panama will take concrete measures against the Maduro regime if it does not free Roberto Marrero]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Duque: La comunidad internacional tiene que condenar la persecución criminal del régimen de Maduro" [Duque: The international community has to condemn the criminal persecution of the Maduro regime]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Cancillería de Alemania: Arresto de Marrero intensifica aún más el conflicto en Venezuela" [Chancellery of Germany: Marrero's arrest further intensifies the conflict in Venezuela]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  25. ^ "Canadá dice que los responsables del secuestro de Marrero deben rendir cuentas" [Canada says that those responsible for Marrero's kidnapping must be held accountable]. La Patilla (in Spanish). 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.

External links

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