LA man jailed in Venezuela begs for Biden not to forget him

LA man jailed in Venezuela begs for Biden not to forget him

Photo: Jae C. Hong

 

A Los Angeles attorney detained in Venezuela is pleading for help from the Biden administration, saying in a jailhouse message that he feels forgotten by the U.S. government as he faces criminal charges at the hands of one of the nation’s top adversaries.

By AP News – Joshua Goodman

Aug 31, 2022

Eyvin Hernández, who has been detained for five months, describes in the recording how he has dedicated the past 15 years to public service as an employee of the Los Angeles County public defender’s office, seeking fair treatment for often penniless clients.

“No one should be abandoned at the time of their greatest need and when they’re most vulnerable,” he said in the almost two-minute recording, which was provided to The Associated Press by Hernández’s family. “However, I don’t feel like my government feels that way about me.”

In a calm voice, Hernández said he and other Americans imprisoned in Venezuela – there are at least 10, including five oil executives and three veterans – feel “like our government has abandoned us.” 

Hernández’s appeal comes as the Biden administration is under pressure to do more to bring home roughly 50 Americans it believes have been wrongfully detained by hostile governments around the world. Much of the focus is on Russia, where the U.S. has taken the unusual step of proposing a swap of a convicted arms dealer for WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner. U.S. officials have for months been quietly pursuing a separate deal with Nicolás Maduro’s socialist government in Venezuela, which holds the largest contingent of Americans suspected of being used as bargaining chips. 

Henry Martínez said his brother sent him the voice message Aug. 21. A copy was also provided to the State Department, which has been weighing whether to turn Hernández’s case over to the administration’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens.

In the recording, Hernández said it’s been months since he or any of his fellow Americans have seen a courtroom, nor do they have any hopes of getting a fair trial.

“This place is meant to break you psychologically and spiritually,” he said of confinement at a maximum security prison housing many of Maduro’s opponents. “We’re all innocent, yet we’re being charged and treated as terrorists.” 

He said the uncertainty, isolation and human rights violations are taking a toll, with two Americans having already attempted suicide and a third on the brink with daily mental breakdowns.

“If you don’t get us out soon, then there might not be anyone left to save,” he said.

The AP was unable to verify Hernández’s claims. But United Nations officials have long complained about the lack of independence for Venezuelan judges and prosecutors and about conditions at the facility where Hernández and several other Americans are being held.

A State Department spokesman declined to comment on Hernadez’s case, citing privacy limitations, but said the agency continuously reviews the detentions of Americans overseas. He also noted that the U.S. government has issued an advisory warning Americans to avoid all travel to Venezuela due to the risk of wrongful detentions and threats from illegal armed groups, especially along the country’s porous borders.

Hernández, who turned 44 in jail, was arrested March 31 along the Colombia-Venezuela border. His family says he traveled there from the city of Medellin with a Venezuelan friend who needed to get her passport stamped to resolve an issue with her migratory status in Colombia. His family said he never intended to enter Venezuela, and he was due to fly home three days later.

Read More: AP News – LA man jailed in Venezuela begs for Biden not to forget him

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