Chevron manager jailed in Venezuela amid crackdown on government critics
The Associated Press has learned that a former Venezuelan fighter pilot jailed in Venezuela in February for his ties to a prominent human rights attorney is an employee of U.S. oil firm Chevron
MIAMI (AP) — A former fighter pilot jailed in Venezuela in February for his ties to a prominent human rights attorney is an employee of U.S. oil firm Chevron, The Associated Press has learned, an arrest that combined with other recent repressive acts by Nicolás Maduro’s government is straining efforts by the Biden administration to pave the way for free and fair elections in the South American country.
Alejandro González was taken into custody Feb. 9 when counterintelligence agents raided his home near the eastern oil center of Barcelona around 10 p.m. The only information his family has received came in a single statement by Maduro's chief prosecutor accusing him of revealing national security secrets and obstruction of justice.
“I can't stop thinking that this is all a nightmare and isn't really happening,” Alexandra González, the oldest of González's three daughters, said in an interview from her home in Spain. “We don't know how our dad is doing. We haven't spoken to him, nor has he had access to his chosen lawyers.”
González's arrest came hours after his ex-wife, human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, was herself picked up at an airport outside Caracas while heading on a short trip to Miami. Attorney General Tarek William Saab has accused her of working as a “spy” in one of multiple, U.S.-backed conspiracies that authorities claim to have foiled in recent months. Her daughter, two brothers, and another former husband, who also served in the air force, were also detained but later released in what U.N. officials have denounced as a growing trend of targeting friends and family members of government opponents.
