Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab showing some of the maps seized from Rocío San Miguel's residence. Photo: Alba Ciudad.
Venezuelan USAID-supported activist Rocío San Miguel is named in the “operation order” of the White Bracelet plot, revealed Venezuela’s attorney general. San Miguel’s name appears on two separate pages of the so-called “operation order,” containing a summary of the plot’s execution, where it is indicated that she “would be in charge of coordinating and transferring all the necessary communication equipment to cover the events and broadcast the first interview, in real time, about the progress of the operation.”
This information was provided by Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek Willian Saab this Monday, February 19, while showing a video that documents various items of evidence and shows 18 cartographic maps with the coordinates of military installations that belong to the intelligence reserve of the Venezuelan State.
Saab recalled that at the time of arresting the former military officer Anyelo Heredia, it was possible to determine that Rocío San Miguel was a personal contact of his. Saab recalled that one of the first detainees was officer Guillermo Enrique César Siero, in whose residence a military document known as the “operation order” was found.
“There were specified all the actions that were going to be carried out,” said Saab, “in this brutal White Bracelet terrorist plot, and it mentions the role of each person. From the NGOs’ perspective, propaganda could contribute to the criminal plot. There, Rocío San Miguel is explicitly mentioned as being responsible for some activities.”
Among them, Saab noted her role was to be the link with media outlets to “communicate to the Venezuelan people and the international community” the results of the operation and demonstrate its progress to “allied countries.”
Saab continued to explain that in the terrorist plan, “Rocío San Miguel would be in charge of coordinating and transporting all the communication equipment necessary to cover the events and carry out the transmission of the first interview in real time of the progress of the operation, create a communication affinity with the military population to achieve support, coordinate with international organizations, through the NGO Citizen Control, to ensure the human rights of all patriotic soldiers involved in the operation, and to communicate with the International Red Cross to avoid air attacks [and] bombings against the members of the operation.”
Maps and lists of military profiles
Saab added that the evidence found at the San Miguel residence is compromising since it contains information that is exclusive to the state.
The evidence includes maps of Puerto Cabello and Borburata. “Here we see demarcated, on the left, the Naval Aviation Command Security Zone, and, on the right, the security zone of the Rear Admiral Agustín Armario Base,” said Saab. “We can also see that it has areas of interest highlighted in green. To make these demarcations, two different maps were joined together. This is a complex task, as it is carried out using geographical coordinates that even extend into the sea.”
The attorney general explained that more than 24 demarcated military zones were found, including the security zone of Miraflores Palace, the seat of the presidency. He added that this information should not be accessible to NGOs.
“This information has been collected and marked systematically, with the support of people with knowledge of geography and cartography,” said Saab. “Not everyone can do something like this.”
Saab added that San Miguel’s closest relatives were aware that she was in possession of these classified materials, and even went so far as to establish a “protocol” to hide the evidence in case she was detained.
Venezuela’s Authorities Arrest Far-Right NGOist Rocío San Miguel
“This protocol was activated at the time of her detention,” said Saab. “And was executed by those closest to her, who are now free under precautionary measures [e.g., probation].”
When the protocol was activated, these individuals close to San Miguel took the documents and transferred them “to La Guaira and El Marqués neighborhoods in Caracas; from the capital, they were later taken to Higuerote, where they were hidden in a trunk. They later ended up in Guárico state.”
The evidence also included “lists and profiles of the country’s military commanders, and from her communications, it is clear that she has it for all the military personnel,” Saab said, adding that more than a defender of human rights, she appears to be an “agent.”
Sharing strategic information with European diplomats
Attorney General Saab also disclosed that San Miguel received payments from a transnational company. “A payment was made in dollars,” he said, adding that she had even provided information “to a European ambassador about the strengthening the country’s air defense systems.”
He added that there were “similar exchanges” with the embassies of three other countries. The payment she received from a transnational corporation, he said, was for a “strategic analysis.”
Saab said that the investigations are still ongoing: “She had numerous security measures for her communications. Therefore, there are still several devices that we are in the process of gaining access to.”
He emphasized that this is not a case of forced disappearance and that “her NGO is a façade to speak ill against the Venezuelan Army; there are even statements from her requesting sanctions against the Venezuelan State.”
Nevertheless, relatives of San Miguel were permitted to visit her in prison over the weekend, Saab reported.
(Últimas Noticias) by Aurora Torrealba
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
