Overview
- A penal court issued the sentence on November 14, applying the 30-year maximum under Article 37 of the Venezuelan Penal Code.
- Marggie Orozco, 65, was convicted of treason, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy based on a voice message shared in a WhatsApp group.
- The case began after a CLAP community leader reported her audio, which criticized local gas distribution and urged neighbors to vote, leading to her August 5, 2024 arrest in San Juan de Colón, Táchira.
- Orozco remains held at the Centro Penitenciario de Occidente in Santa Ana; advocacy groups cite a September 2024 heart attack in custody and ongoing concerns about her medical care.
- NGOs allege due-process violations and place the case within a post-2024 pattern that invokes the Law Against Hate and state-linked apps to police private speech, with rights groups counting hundreds of political detainees.