Human Rights Activist Yesenia Gonzalez has described today as a “day of hope for Venezuelans who have endured years of hardship and suffering and who can now see the possibility of a different future.”
In a statement following the US operation that captured the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Ms. Gonzales said that for years, the people of Venezuela “have endured extraordinary hardship – economic collapse, shortages of food and medicine, families torn apart, and the silencing of ordinary voices.”
She said that with the capture of the Maduros, Venezuela now has a fair chance at “renewal” and “to rebuild its institutions, restore opportunity, and allow its citizens to live without fear. It brings hope that families who were separated can one day return home with dignity, and that children can grow up in a country where freedom and justice are protected.”
Ms. Gonzalez said the emergence of a new Venezuela at this moment would deliver benefits not only domestically but internationally.
“A free, stable, and democratic Venezuela will not only benefit Venezuelans. It will strengthen the Caribbean and the wider region by reducing forced migration, encouraging cooperation, and fostering shared prosperity and peace. To Venezuelans everywhere (at home or abroad) this moment belongs to you. Celebrate with humility. Move forward with unity. Build with responsibility. Freedom is not only achieved; it must be protected through compassion, accountability, and collective effort.”