Venezuelan activist Jesús Armas recounts kidnapping, torture and eventual release after Maduro's fall

Jesús Armas participated in an effort to publish voting tallies after the July 2024 election, which the regime declared fraudulent. On a routine outing, he was ambushed by a masked gunman and his associates, then taken to a private residence used for interrogations, where he was blindfolded and suffocated with a plastic bag for four days. Following the ordeal, he faced a remote hearing, was denied private counsel, and was charged with treason, criminal association, terrorism, financing terrorism and conspiracy with a foreign government.

He was moved to El Helicoide, Venezuela’s infamous political prison, where he endured severe deprivation and limited contact with the outside world. In January 2026, an explosion at the facility sparked rumors that Nicolás Maduro had been captured, prompting unrest among inmates. Later, the prison director ordered his removal for a “medical checkup,” which turned out to be his release, and he was driven home with his mother.