Elderly woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for speaking out against government

A Venezuelan court has sentenced a 65-year-old woman to 30 years in prison for inciting public opinion against President Nicolas Maduro. The woman’s name is Margie Orozco, a doctor by profession. According to the country’s human rights organizations, the news agency AFP reported that Margie had criticized Maduro’s government in an audio message on WhatsApp. The sentence is for that charge. The court sentenced Margie to the maximum sentence on charges of “treason, spreading hatred and conspiracy.”
However, it was not disclosed which message Margie was sentenced to for inciting public opinion and to whom. AFP was also unable to learn the content of the alleged WhatsApp message and to whom it was sent. Margie was arrested in August 2024 in the western Venezuelan city of San Juan de Colón. At the time, the country was in the midst of a severe political crisis. Maduro’s re-election was rejected by the opposition and dozens of countries.
Protests spread across the country after the controversial victory. 2,400 people were arrested. Most of them were quickly released. After the protests, Maduro called on his supporters to report him as “fascists.” Margi was arrested at the time. Venezuelan human rights group JEP said Margi suffered two heart attacks while in custody. Now, the Maduro government has come under renewed criticism after his sentencing.