Caracas, Venezuela — Venezuelans have been closely following the case of Carmen Navas, an 82-year-old woman who spent a year and a half searching for her son, Víctor Hugo Quero Navas, who was imprisoned by security forces in January 2025.
Initially unable to locate her son, the octogenarian searched for him in various detention centers, morgues, and hospitals—a struggle that moved many because of her persistence and strength, despite the pain she endured.
After so much pressure and the case going viral on social media, the government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, confirmed in a statement that Víctor Quero Navas, who had been accused of alleged terrorism, had died in state custody and therefore ordered an investigation to determine what happened.
Read more: Another political prisoner dies in custody in Venezuela
In the statement, they noted that the detainee “did not provide personal identification details, and no family member came forward to request a formal visit.”
They explained that following his death, his “formal burial took place on July 30, 2025,” due to the alleged “absence of his family members.”
The news rocked Venezuelans and opposition members who have been protesting the government to release some 429 political prisoners that remain behind bars in the country.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, just nine days after receiving the news of her son’s fate, Carmen Navas died on May 17 following her harrowing search.
There is widespread outrage in the country over this case, as the state is being held responsible for Quero Navas’s death and for the suffering inflicted on a Venezuelan mother.
Opposition political leaders such as María Corina Machado have demanded justice. On her X account, the national coordinator of Vente Venezuela wrote: “It was not just a mother who died; a woman who turned pain into courage and despair into a cry for justice has passed away.”
She added, “Her voice became the voice of thousands of Venezuelan mothers who today are searching for their children who have disappeared, been imprisoned, persecuted, or murdered by the criminal regime.”
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (CLIPPVE) also posted a message on X in which they highlighted that Carmen Navas’s struggle will be remembered for the determination she showed in seeking news of her son.
“Her story was marked by the unwavering love of a mother who never stopped seeking truth and justice for her son, Víctor Hugo Quero Navas, who died while in state custody,” they wrote.
U.S. politicians have also weighed in on the matter. Florida Senator Rick Scott said, “Carmen is the face of the brutality of the Venezuelan dictatorship. They kidnapped her son, hid his death for months and forced a mother to search prison after prison while they already knew he was dead.”
He added: “We won’t rest until they face the justice they deserve and ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE RELEASED.”
What has Venezuela’s government said?
Amid the pressure generated by this incident, Rodríguez’s government issued a statement following Carmen Navas’s death.
In the document, they stated: “From the moment the complaint regarding the case of her son Víctor Hugo Quero was received, the presidency ordered a thorough investigation to clarify what happened and requested the cooperation of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
They assured that once the investigation is concluded, they will inform the country of what happened regarding the death of this political prisoner.
The statement was questioned by journalist Maryorin Méndez, who accompanied Carmen Navas for months in her search. “Fact: from the moment she (Carmen) found out, she ordered an investigation,” Méndez wrote on social media.
In Venezuela, according to figures from the Venezuelan Prison Observatory, five mothers died before seeing their loved ones released or within days after their release.
“Freedom that comes after the death of a loved one is not justice. The Venezuelan Prison Observatory demands that the Venezuelan regime provide full health guarantees and support for those who are now facing this grief in freedom,” they stated on X.
For this reason, they demand an end to the psychological torture that, they allege, is inflicted on political prisoners and their families, and that full freedom be granted to all.
Featured image: Carmen Navas being consoled at a mass in honor of her dead son just two days before she died on May 17.
Image credit: Julio Blanca for Latin America Reports
