On October 20, 2025, Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) arrested Dr. Pedro Javier Fernández Rodríguez, a urologist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA).
The arrest followed a social media post by Fernández celebrating Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize. In the post, he wrote: “We celebrate with even greater pride the recognition of a struggle that has moved the world. Our leader, our strength, and our guide for freedom has been recognized with the highest award for peace. María Corina, Nobel Peace Prize 2025! God bless you always, dear friend.”
Witnesses reported that SEBIN officers wearing balaclavas forcibly removed Fernández from his office at the Marcial Ríos Clinic without a warrant. In a video shared by the Mérida State Medical Association, Fernández’s wife reported that he was being held at SEBIN headquarters. He was reportedly accused of incitement to hatred and treason, though no evidence was provided to support the accusations. As of February 2026, Fernández remained in SEBIN custody.
The 2017 Venezuelan Law Against Hatred criminalizes actions that “incite hatred” against a person or group. Human rights organizations have denounced the Maduro administration’s use of this law to silence citizens expressing critical opinions on social media, in the press, or in public spaces. Since 2020, activists, journalists, and teachers have increasingly been imprisoned on these charges without due process for statements deemed offensive or dangerous by the state.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of a scholar in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression—conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Venezuela is a party. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and other related higher education values.
Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT1yv0RDtwO/
http://theelnews.org/2026/01/20/libertad-para-el-dr-pedro-javier-fernandez-rodriguez-preso-politico-venezolano/
https://contrapunto.com/nacional/politica/dr-pedro-javier-fernandez-fue-imputado-por-instigacion-al-odio-y-terrorismo-se-espera-su-traslado-a-caracas/
https://www.ntn24.com/noticias-actualidad/la-federacion-medica-venezolana-y-esposa-del-urologo-detenido-en-merida-piden-su-liberacion-inmediata-586383
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/venezuela-politics-hatelaw/