France – Handicap International, Sept. 15, 2025
Monday 15 September marks 10 months since our Italian colleague Alberto Trentini and the Venezuelan driver Rafael Ubiel Hernandez Machado who was accompanying him were arbitrarily detained by the authorities in Caracas. We must not let up our efforts: together, we demand their release.
Alberto and Rafael were arrested on 15 November 2024 at a checkpoint while travelling to an HI project in the state of Apure. Since then, they have been held in detention without any official justification being given.
HI has been working tirelessly for ten months to obtain an explanation for this arbitrary detention and secure Alberto and Rafael’s release. Together with consular authorities and international and intergovernmental organisations, we are pursuing all possible avenues.
The continuation of this detention with no clear prospect of release, and the ongoing denial of consular access for Alberto are extremely worrying developments.
