Venezuelan Human Rights Activist Martha Grajales Detained and Charged with Incitement to Hatred
- Human Rights Research Center
- Aug 18
- 3 min read
Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan
August 18, 2025
HRRC condemns the arbitrary detention of Martha Grajales, a courageous human rights defender, and demands her immediate release. This action is a stark reminder of the Venezuelan government's ongoing crackdown on dissent and its disregard for fundamental human rights.
![Martha Grajales [Image source: Latin America Reports]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e28a6b_588b070b4ac7453e9a6bdd2dbe02f0ff~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_780,h_520,al_c,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/e28a6b_588b070b4ac7453e9a6bdd2dbe02f0ff~mv2.png)
Venezuelan human rights activist Martha Grajales, a citizen and co-founder of the Surgentes human rights collective, was detained by police on Friday while participating in a protest outside the UN headquarters in the country’s capital, Caracas. Following the July 2024 presidential election, the activist continued to advocate for the release of political prisoners who had been previously detained.
Grajales was charged on Monday with incitement to hatred, conspiracy with a foreign government, and criminal association by Venezuela's prosecutor's office. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for her "immediate release" and said that "her family and lawyer must be informed about her fate and whereabouts" in response to the charges, which drew harsh criticism. Moreover, in an internet petition, Nobel Peace Prize Adolfo Pérez Esquivel was among the more than 800 people who signed the petition calling for her release.
Antonio González, Grajales's spouse, claimed that he was refused access to her while visiting several Caracas detention facilities. Despite her family's appeals for her to appoint her own attorney, she was ultimately moved to a detention facility in Los Teques, where state-appointed counsel was assigned to her case.
Grajales's detention falls into a broader trend of human rights abuses in Venezuela, where several opposition supporters and activists are persecuted. Political repression has escalated since the July 2024 presidential election, with claims of violence against protestors, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances. Numerous international organizations and NGOs have expressed their solidarity with Grajales and denounced her detention, emphasizing the necessity of due process and human rights in Venezuela.
Glossary
Advocate: A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
Arbitrary: Based on random choice or personal opinion rather than reason or system.
Attorney: A person who is qualified to act for another in business or legal matters.
Collective: A group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together to achieve a common objective.
Counsel: advice, especially that given formally.
Denounced: Publicly declared something to be wrong or evil.
Detention: The act of keeping someone in a place, especially in prison or a cell.
Due process: is a fundamental legal principle ensuring fair treatment through the judicial system. It guarantees individuals notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government can deprive them of life, liberty, or property.
Enforced disappearance: The arrest or detention of a person by a government or other powerful group, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts.
Incitement: The act of encouraging or provoking someone to do something, often something violent or illegal.
Persecuted: Treated unfairly or cruelly, often because of one's race, religion, or political beliefs.
Prosecution: The institution and conducting of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge.
Prosecutor: A government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution.
Repression: The act of suppressing or controlling people's freedom, often by force or authority.
Spouse: A person's husband or wife.
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