Ronald Gómez, brother of First Lieutenant Karen Gómez Gutiérrez, "My sister is imprisoned for asking questions"
More than a month had passed since her partner and father of her two children was suddenly detained in December, after his retirement from the Armed Forces. First Lieutenant Karen Nayarit Gómez Gutiérrez consistently approached military authorities to inquire about Colonel (Ret.) Carlos Jesús Sánchez Vásquez, as she was unaware of his whereabouts and did not understand - due to the lack of official information at that time - why he was detained, let alone why she was not allowed to see him or be informed of what was happening. The prolonged institutional silence led her to report the disappearance of the father of her 11-month-old and 2-year-old children to the General Prosecutor's Office, where she filed a letter addressed to Tareck William Saab, seeing that she had also received no response from the Military Prosecutor's Office. She went further and also reported the disappearance to Hélene Devaux, coordinator of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Asking too many questions and making a report led to her imprisonment. On January 22, 2024, she was detained by the DGCIM when she went to the ZODI (Operational Defense Zone) of Guatire after receiving a phone call. She was at home because she had not been practicing her role for more than two years in order to take care of her children. Although she never parted from them, she left them with neighbors while attending the meeting, hoping to be informed about her partner's situation. That did not happen. Since that day, she has not returned home nor has she been able to hug her children.
She was detained for being accused of being part of conspiracy acts. The following day, January 23, she was demoted and expelled from the National Bolivarian Armed Forces along with 32 other officers, including her partner, in an act devoid of the rigor of regulations and military judicial and procedural standards, on the grounds of being "involved in conspiracies through planning criminal and terrorist actions to attack the legitimately constituted government system, the authorities and institutions of the state, and the Venezuelan people, even contemplating the assassination of the national president, all of which constitutes Acts of Treason to the Homeland," according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
Days later, the General Prosecutor of the Republic linked her to the "White Bracelet" case, for which human rights defender Rocío San Miguel was also detained. According to his account, Karen was in charge of obtaining medical supplies and attending to the wounded in the event of a combat during the conspiracy. "My sister has never seen that lady, she doesn't know her or knew she existed. The 'evidence' they said they found is a digital blood pressure monitor that belongs to my mother who is hypertensive and left it the last time she visited my sister, and four pairs of surgical gloves that she uses for work and that definitely anyone can have in their home."
Karen Gómez is a 29-year-old woman from Mérida state. As is characteristic of Andean people, she is a submissive and calm woman, dedicated to her home. She saw the military world as an option for better life opportunities, as her parents did not have the resources to send her to university. Her mother did not like the idea, but supported her. Karen never liked weapons, which is why she specialized in physiotherapy. The only time she was actually in a military post was just after graduating when she was assigned to the border, recalls her brother Ronald Gómez, who confesses to living in constant anguish since his sister was detained.
