Moment when Maria Corina Machado security detail is found wearing shorts with the US flag by Venezuelan law enforcement agents in a hotel in Caracas next to a photo of a blue purse found in his possession that he claimed was given to him by Machado herself. Photo: Screenshot IG/@vtv_canal8.
The Venezuelan Ministry for Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace reported on Monday the arrest of a citizen named Roalmi Cabeza, who said he had been in “protection” by order of opposition politician María Corina Machado since last Thursday. According to Machado and various opposition media and human rights organizations, Cabeza had supposedly been in a situation of “forced disappearance” since Thursday. They also said that he had been shot in the leg, but when he was arrested in a hotel he was found to be in good health and without any wounds on his body while wearing shorts with the US flag.
Machado had said that Cabeza was part of his trusted team and was allegedly shot by law enforcement during the deflated far-right opposition demonstrations on January 9, while Venezuelan media published statements claiming that his mother was requesting Maduro’s government to “not let him die.”
Various media outlets and organizations claiming to defend human rights had “confirmed” the “forced disappearance” of Roalmi Cabeza. For example, El Pitazo, Contrapunto, Efecto Cocuyo, RunRunes and El Espectador, who cited the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners or the NGO Derechos Humanos en Movimiento, going so far as to claim that he was in a state of “forced disappearance.”
The Ministry for Interior, in its statement, wrote : “In response to the serious allegations filed by citizen María Corina Machado and spread by various national and international news outlets, in relation to a citizen of her trusted team who had allegedly been mortally wounded by law enforcement forces during the demonstrations of January 9, 2025, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies, through the Ministry for Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, have carried out an exhaustive investigation to clarify the facts.”
The ministry said that after the corresponding investigations, the citizen identified as Roalmi Alberto Cabeza Cedeño was arrested in a well-known hotel in Caracas. “It should be noted that the citizen is in excellent physical and health condition, with no injuries anywhere on his body,” the institution added.
It also said that the citizen will be brought before the Venezuelan judiciary for the crimes of criminal association and simulation of a punishable act with the aim of generating anxiety in the country.
The ministry also posted a video of the moment of the arrest on its Instagram account, in which the citizen confirms that he is in good health and that he was with Machado on January 9 , staying at the hotel awaiting instructions from her, adding to the fake news of her alleged arrest on that day.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace reaffirmed its commitment to guarantee human rights, as enshrined in the country’s Constitution, international treaties, and other laws in force.
As seen in the video of the raid of the hotel room were Machado’s security biker was hiding, a blue purse was found in his possessions and when asked about it, he clearly stated that the purse was given to him by Machado herself on the day of the alleged kidnapping.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DZ
