A Venezuelan physician has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars — the country’s harshest penalty — for sending a private WhatsApp voice note that allegedly criticized the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Marggie Orozco, a 65-year-old medical professional from San Juan de Colón, was convicted of treason, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy, following complaints by local community leaders who flagged her message as disloyal. Authorities have not released the contents of the recording, nor have they disclosed its intended recipient.
Her arrest in August 2024 came in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s controversial re-election, an event rejected as illegitimate by opposition groups and over 40 international governments. The vote sparked nationwide unrest and mass detentions — with more than 2,000 Venezuelans arrested during the protests that followed. Most were freed within weeks. Orozco was not.
Human rights observers are calling the case emblematic of Venezuela’s expanding crackdown on dissent. According to the human rights organization Foro Penal, nearly 900 individuals are currently imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The nonprofit JEP has also confirmed that Orozco has suffered two heart attacks while incarcerated, heightening concerns for her wellbeing under detention.
President Maduro has publicly encouraged his base to report individuals deemed “fascists,” a label broadly applied to critics and opposition voices. Activists say this rhetoric has turned neighbors into informants and deepened the culture of fear that surrounds political expression in Venezuela.
Orozco’s conviction adds to a growing list of cases that highlight the shrinking space for free speech in the country, where even private messages are now grounds for decades-long prison terms.
