CARACAS.- This Monday, Venezuelan YouTuber Óscar Alejandro Pérez Martínez was released from prison. He was detained on Sunday at the “Simón Bolívar” Airport in Caracas, accused of being linked to alleged terrorism activities, according to his family in a statement.
Pérez Martínez was detained by Venezuelan State security agents at the air terminal when he entered the country from Nicaragua. The YouTuber was then preparing to take a flight, along with his family, to the Canaima National Park.
In Sunday’s statement, Pérez Martínez’s relatives indicated that “according to the preliminary reports available” the arrest was linked “to accusations of activities related to terrorism,” following a video published on his YouTube channel.
They added that Pérez Martínez had been taken on Sunday to the headquarters of the Scientific Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps (Cicpc) in the center of Caracas and that his case was in charge of the anti-terrorism division. Likewise, they indicated that a hearing was scheduled for this Monday, April 1, in the Second Court of Control of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas.
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, confirmed this Monday that Pérez Martínez had been arrested on Sunday at the Maiquetía airport as he entered the country.
“On entering the country he is detained, he has been interrogated, all his rights have been respected. Nobody can invent here that it was an arbitrary detention. He will be placed today under the orders of the corresponding court… the Public Ministry based on everything What he has collected is going to ask the court that this person be attentive to the calls of the Public Ministry and the court itself based on an ongoing investigation, but he is going to obtain his freedom,” said Saab.
When asked about the crimes for which Pérez Martínez is being investigated, Saab stated: “Isn’t it a crime to present the image of a public or private building, whatever it may be, whose final entity is to provide a public service without distinction to the Venezuelans calling or insinuating that it should be blown up with a bomb?”
Human rights organizations and friends expressed their concern about the detention of Pérez Martínez. Since the end of January, Nicolás Maduro’s regime has undertaken a series of arbitrary arrests and persecutions against dissidents whom he has accused, without evidence, of an alleged conspiracy.
Pérez Martínez, known as Oscar Alejandro, is a 37-year-old YouTuber who lives in the city of Miami, Florida, and has done various jobs on the programs Chic al día, on EVTV Miami and has the podcast Demasiado Transparente. Also, why are you laughing! from the Venevision channel.
His work also focuses on journalistic work that has led him to travel to several countries.
According to the Venezuelan NGO, Espacio Público, between 2020 and 2023, 36 people have been arrested for posting comments on social networks that are considered offensive by the Nicolás Maduro regime.
Source: WRITING
