Venezuela: Arbitrary Detention of Students Noel Cisneros, Katiuska Castillo Vásquez, Ingrid Briceño Venegas and Marcela Hernández Guerra

On 31 October 2025, Venezuelan students and audiovisual producers Noel Cisneros, Katiuska Castillo Vásquez, Ingrid Briceño Venegas, and Marcela Hernández Guerra were standing in front of the façade of Tocorón Penitentiary Centre in Aragua state, where they reportedly took a photograph of the exterior of the facility while conducting academic work for the UCV School of Arts.

Later that morning, at around 11:00 local time, they were approached by perimeter security, who confiscated their identity cards and told them they had to wait because they would be interviewed. After being held there for around six hours, they were taken away in vehicles of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN). Since 15:45 that day, their whereabouts remain unknown, which may amount to an enforced disappearance.

This arbitrary detention takes place in a context of increasing criminalisation of journalistic, academic, and human rights work in Venezuela. According to data from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), there are currently 903 political prisoners in the country, and at least 64 families have not received official information on the place of detention of their loved ones.

In light of these events, the OMCT expresses its deep concern regarding the systematic use of State security forces to silence critical, academic, and artistic voices, and recalls that the exercise of freedom of expression and artistic creation is protected under international human rights standards.

For these reasons, we urge the Venezuelan State to:

1. Immediately adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the safety, physical integrity, and psychological well-being of Noel Cisneros, Katiuska Castillo Vásquez, Ingrid Briceño Venegas, and Marcela Hernández Guerra, as well as of all individuals engaged in academic, journalistic, or artistic work in the country;

2. Immediately disclose the whereabouts of the four detainees, guarantee them access to their lawyers and families, and ensure that they are brought without delay before a competent judicial authority;

3. Immediately and unconditionally release Noel Cisneros, Katiuska Castillo Vásquez, Ingrid Briceño Venegas, and Marcela Hernández Guerra;

4. Carry out an independent, thorough, and impartial investigation into these events, with a view to identifying all those responsible – both direct perpetrators and those who ordered or authorised the detention – and ensuring they are sanctioned in accordance with the law

5. Immediately put an end to all acts of intimidation, criminalisation, and harassment against journalists, students, artists, and human rights defenders in Venezuela, and fully guarantee the exercise of freedom of expression, artistic creation, and association in line with international human rights standards.

The OMCT reiterates its solidarity with the four detainees, their families, and the UCV academic community, and with all those who, despite the risks, continue working towards a Venezuela that is free, democratic, and respectful of human rights.

The OMCT also extends its special solidarity and support to one of the detained individuals, who is a relative of a member of our team, and reaffirms its commitment to defending all victims of arbitrary detention in Venezuela.