Woman’s Stroke Tied to Son’s Detention by Venezuela Regime
A Venezuelan mother suffered a critical stroke after learning her son, a political prisoner detained by the socialist regime, would not be released in a recent prisoner exchange.
María Concepción Sánchez remains in critical condition at a hospital in San Juan de los Morros, Guarico, following the health emergency on Thursday. Family members told the Venezuelan outlet El Pitazo that the mother’s condition deteriorated dramatically after months of emotional strain waiting for news of her son, Joan Enrique Cruz Sánchez, who remains detained at press time.
Cruz Sánchez is among 170 oil workers from the state-owned petroleum company PDVSA arrested in what locals call the PDVSA-Obrero case. According to reporting, these workers were detained between 2024 and 2025 after reporting irregularities within the company, demanding better working conditions, or refusing to sign documents they believed violated Venezuelan law. The regime has accused them of sabotage, contraband, and corruption—charges the detainees and their families have consistently denied.
The detained oil workers are held at Yare II prison in Miranda state. This week, the Venezuelan government released 27 individuals linked to the PDVSA-Obrero case in batches, but Cruz Sánchez was not among them.
The case reflects the broader humanitarian crisis affecting Venezuelan families. Carmen Navas, an 82-year-old mother, died on May 17 after learning her son, political prisoner Víctor Hugo Quero Navas, had been dead since July 2025. She had spent 16 months searching for him after his arrest in January 2025, with authorities repeatedly refusing to disclose his whereabouts.
The Venezuelan regime excluded PDVSA-Obrero detainees from its February “amnesty” law, which critics argue falls short of providing blanket relief for all political prisoners. The legislation instead limited benefits to individuals linked to specific periods of Venezuela’s political crisis.
Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly and brother of “acting President” Delcy Rodríguez, announced this week that 300 additional political prisoners would be released. The announcement followed President Donald Trump’s statement that he would secure the release of all political prisoners of the socialist regime in Venezuela. The announcement also included three former Metropolitan Police officers who had spent 23 years in detention.
However, Gonzalo Himiob, Vice President of human rights organization Foro Penal, contradicted the government’s claims. As of Friday morning, only 38 confirmed releases had occurred—36 men and 2 women—significantly fewer than Rodríguez’s promised 300.
With information from Breitbart News
