One year after Venezuelan activist Jesús Alexander Armas Monasterios was forcibly detained in Caracas, the McCain Institute is calling on Venezuela to release him after he was abducted by Nicolás Maduro’s regime on December 10, 2024, for his work supporting Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado.
“What is happening to Jesús is not only an attack on one courageous citizen—it is part of a broader pattern of authoritarian repression that destabilizes the region and threatens global security,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “Democracies must stand together against these abuses.”
A tireless defender of democratic freedoms in Venezuela, a community advocate, and a McCain Global Leader, Jesús worked to expand access to clean water, energy, and increase civic participation in vulnerable communities through his NGO, Ciudadanía Sin Límites.
Armas’ disappearance was widely reported by GlobeNewswire on January 3, 2025, which detailed his abduction by six unidentified agents and his initial enforced disappearance. According to that report, his whereabouts remained unknown for a week until authorities confirmed he was held at a National Police facility in Caracas. Attempts by family members to deliver food or secure visitation were denied.
He was later transferred to El Helicoide, a detention center long associated with human rights abuses. Sources cited by GlobeNewswire described instances of severe mistreatment, including suffocation used to coerce statements – actions that contradict Venezuelan and international legal standards regarding detainee treatment.
Global attention to his case grew following statements by PEN America, which condemned his enforced disappearance and emphasized his role as a pro-democracy activist and commentator. The organization noted that Armas was among more than 2,000 arbitrary detentions recorded after Venezuela’s elections and called for immediate disclosure of his location and release.
“Jesús embodies the moral courage Senator McCain championed—standing up for his country, for dignity, and for democratic freedoms even at great personal risk. His suffering, like that of political prisoners everywhere, reminds us of the human cost of authoritarianism and our responsibility to act,” said John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative Director Pedro Pizano, J.D. & LL.M.
The McCain Institute launched the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative (FPPI) in February 2025 to advocate for pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders, political opposition leaders, and all who are held captive because of their commitment to the principles of democracy and individual freedom. Jesús Armas was one of four initial cases.
“Jesús represents the kind of principled, community-rooted leadership our program exists to elevate. His imprisonment underscores the profound challenges faced by emerging democratic actors—and why supporting them is so essential,” said McCain Institute Director of Leadership Programs Scott Nemeth.
Along with institutional calls for action, a campaign, FreeJesusArmas.com, continues to amplify his case. The site documents the timeline of his detention, provides resources for public advocacy, and hosts a petition urging international authorities to intervene.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)