Collage showing Voluntad Popular activist Edwin Santos, Venezuelan far-right opposition's tweet claiming he was murdered, stamped with "Fake news." Photo composition: Venezuela News.
The director of the Scientific, Penal, and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC) of Venezuela, Douglas Rico, discarded the fake news surrounding the death of the Voluntad Popular activist, Edwin Santos, confirming that he had died in a traffic accident.
A few days ago, the National Campaign Command, led by the far-right politician María Corina Machado, claimed that Edwin Santos was supposedly kidnapped by “hooded individuals dressed in black.”
From then onwards, the Venezuelan far right began spreading the fake news, which was debunked by the CICPC chief on Saturday, October 26.
According to the forensic authorities, Edwin Santos died after the motorcycle that he was riding crashed into a tree.
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His body was found lifeless on the main road to El Nula, adjacent to the Arenosa Bridge, in Alberto Adriani parish, Fernández Feo municipality of Táchira state.
According to the forensic specialists, at the time of the discovery of the body, Santos had been dead for 48 to 72 hours.
Moreover, during the technical inspection at the scene of the incident and the planimetric survey, they found signs of maceration on the bark of the tree against which the motorcycle driven by Santos presumably crashed.
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The forensic report specified that the cause of Edwin Santos’ death was neurogenic shock due to skull fracture from severe cranioencephalic trauma.
He also had facial trauma, musculoskeletal trauma of the left leg, and contusions in the left maxillary chin region.
Reacting to the right-wing disinformation campaign, the director of the CICPC condemned “the fake news spread by some media outlets and spokespersons, who are trying to manipulate the truth and create the narrative that the national government might be behind this unfortunate event.”
Rico announced that, by instruction of the Ministry for the Interior, Justice, and Peace, an investigation will be opened into this disinformation campaign.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
