The EU is attentive to the situation of the Portuguese descendant who was detained in Venezuela – Borrell

The High Representative for Foreign Affairs assured today that the European Union (EU) will “closely monitor” the situation of a Portuguese descendant hospitalized after being detained in Venezuela.
According to a response to a letter addressed by Ana Pedro, MEP of the CDS-PP, to Josep Borrell, which Lusa accessed, the High Representative states that the EU “will closely monitor the situation of [Williams] Dávila Barrios through the EU delegation to Venezuela, in Caracas.”
On August 26, Ana Pedro wrote to Josep Borrell requesting increased efforts by EU diplomacy for the release of all political prisoners of the Venezuelan regime, including this Portuguese descendant citizen.
At the time, Williams Dávila Barrios was hospitalized in Caracas, “after an unjust detention,” presenting a “delicate health condition,” the centrist MEP considering “absolutely unacceptable” the conditions “to which he and other political prisoners are subjected (…), constituting a clear violation of the most basic human rights.”
In the response given today, the head of European diplomacy guaranteed that the EU “remains extremely concerned with the deepening political crisis” in Venezuela and with the “consequences for human rights.”
Josep Borrell recalled that, according to information from non-governmental organizations, at least 1,800 Venezuelans, “including minors, were detained after the presidential elections of July 28, 2024.”
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy added that “all Venezuelans should be able to freely express their political opinions” and recalled that the EU has repeatedly demanded that the country’s authorities respect “the rights and freedoms” of the population.
In the letter sent at the end of August to Josep Borrell, the MEP asked for, “urgently and clearly,” Josep Borrell to intensify the “necessary diplomatic efforts to pressure the Venezuelan government to proceed with the immediate release of all political prisoners.”
The MEP made the appeal following the political-social crisis triggered by the election results in Venezuela, held at the end of July, which granted a third term to Nicolás Maduro but whose results are contested by the opposition and part of the international community, condemning the omission of the results minutes and the lack of transparency in the electoral process, including the exclusion of independent international observers.
After the elections, the Venezuelan population began to demonstrate in the streets of Caracas and other cities in the country, demanding transparency, respect for citizens’ decisions, and political renewal, ending a cycle of Maduro, who is accused by the opposition of using the state apparatus for personal benefit, silencing critical voices through detentions.
Williams Dávila, 73, was detained on August 8 in Plaza los Palos Grandes (east of Caracas) by armed men, after a vigil for political prisoners, attended by hundreds of people.