Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular said Friday that local leader and party co-founder Edwin Santos was found dead after being detained by security forces in Apure state, marking an escalation in political repression following disputed July elections.
Santos was actively involved in July’s opposition victory in Apure state before his death, according to Voluntad Popular’s statement. The opposition party specifically named Apure Governor Wilmer Rodriguez and Páez Mayor José “Chema” Romero, along with the DGCIM and SEBIN security services, as responsible for Santos’ death. The party also called for an independent investigation into the death, emphasizing that while Maduro remains in power, no citizen in Venezuela who opposes the regime is safe.
Santos disappeared Wednesday afternoon while traveling by motorcycle to El Piñal community, where he had been advocating for repairs to a local bridge, according to statements from Voluntad Popular. His body was discovered Friday near the Nulita bridge, where he had been denouncing the severe deterioration and collapse of the infrastructure weeks earlier.
In a joint statement, opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, and the Democratic Unitary Platform condemned what they called Santos’ cruel assassination. The opposition coalition emphasized Santos’ leadership role in San Camilo parish, Páez municipality of Apure state, warning that pro-democracy activism should not carry a death sentence for Venezuelan families.
In separate statements, both leaders expanded on their concerns. González called for a thorough and transparent investigation to uncover the full truth behind Santos’ death. Machado characterized the incident as a dangerous escalation in political violence, highlighting Santos’ community roles as a Catholic volunteer and father of two children. She emphasized the gravity of the situation, pointing out that Santos was first detained by state security forces before being killed, marking what she described as an alarming pattern of state-sponsored violence against opposition figures.
Venezuelan human rights organization PROVEA suggested Santos’ death could constitute an extrajudicial execution and a crime against humanity, calling for the incident to be included in ongoing investigations by both the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela and the International Criminal Court.
The killing occurred amid heightened political tensions in Venezuela. According to an August report from Amnesty International, over 2,000 people were arrested between July 29 and August 7 for protesting or being perceived as critical of the government following disputed elections that President Nicolas Maduro claims to have won.
The incident adds to what Amnesty International describes as a “severe human rights crisis” spanning over a decade in Venezuela, which has forced more than 25 percent of the population to flee the country. The organization has documented serious violations, including crimes against humanity and a complex humanitarian emergency.
