During his detention, the Venezuelan citizen was accused of terrorism and held at El Helicoide, the largest torture center under the Chavista regime.
His release was confirmed by human rights defender Elisa Trotta and occurred in a context marked by the slow pace of the prisoner releases announced by the Chavista government, as well as by allegations of arbitrary detentions and a lack of official information regarding the situation of political prisoners in the country.
Mendoza Fuentes was arrested at his home in the La Pastora neighborhood of Caracas, a few days after the arrest of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, who had entered Venezuela by land from Colombia to visit his partner and young son.
While Gallo remains detained in El Rodeo prison, Mendoza Fuentes was held at El Helicoide, Venezuela's largest torture center.
During his captivity, the Venezuelan regime charged him with various offenses, including terrorism. Mendoza Fuentes turned 40 while in detention, with no progress reported in his legal case or details released about the evidence that would justify his arrest. Up to the time of his release, no images or official statement explaining the conditions of his release have been published.
Mendoza Fuentes' mother, Maricela Fuentes, repeatedly requested her son's release.
“My son is a worker, not a criminal,” she stated on previous occasions, identifying herself as a supporter of Chavismo. His partner also led appeals to the regime and human rights organizations in an attempt to raise awareness of the case.
Mendoza Fuentes was a local employee of the Argentine diplomatic mission and had worked with various ambassadors in Caracas over the past years. According to those close to him, his performance was positively evaluated by officials from different Argentine governments.
He served during the tenure of former Chargé d'Affaires Eduardo Porretti, during the government of Mauricio Macri, and also during the term of Ambassador Oscar Laborde, under the presidency of Alberto Fernández. More recently, he collaborated with Gabriel Volpi and Andrés Mangiarotti, heads of mission during a period marked by the deterioration of diplomatic relations between Buenos Aires and Caracas. The driver's arrest sparked diplomatic protests from Argentina, which questioned the detention of a worker linked to its diplomatic mission. The family had requested the intervention of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, which publicly rejected the arrest and demanded an explanation from the Chávez regime.
Despite this release, other Argentine citizens remain detained in Venezuela. These include gendarme Nahuel Gallo; businessman Roberto Baldo, whose Venezuelan-Spanish wife also remains under arrest; lawyer Germán Giuliani; and Gustavo Gabriel Rivara, whose physical and mental health is reportedly deteriorating, according to activists.
Chavista official Delcy Rodríguez stated on January 15 that 406 people had been released since December, although independent organizations report different figures. The NGO Foro Penal counted 143 releases between January 8 and 19, while the Unitary Democratic Platform registered 163 during the same period.
Human rights organizations have questioned the lack of transparency in the process. The NGO Provea demanded that the State publish detailed lists with the names of the released individuals, the detention centers, the criminal charges, and the conditions under which the releases occurred.
“The authorities cannot shirk their responsibility to provide clear and timely information,” the organization stated.
As of January 19, Foro Penal registered 777 political prisoners in Venezuela. Mendoza Fuentes' release partially reduces that number, but it does not dispel doubts about the true scope of the process or the situation of the detainees who remain in the regime's custody.
(With information from EFE)
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