It is of utmost importance to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom to advocate for justice, raise awareness of the dire human rights violations in Venezuela and galvanize support for the return of freedom and democracy. The country stands at a critical crossroads following the July 28 presidential elections, where the united opposition achieved a resounding victory, with Edmundo González securing 67% of the vote. Yet, the Maduro regime refuses to accept defeat. Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to defend democracy and protect human rights. Following the landslide victory of opposition leader María Corina Machado in the October 2023 primary elections, Pedro Urruchurtu, Vente Venezuela’s coordinator of international affairs, brought the urgent humanitarian crisis to the forefront during his visit to Brussels. He expressed his concern that nearly 8 million Venezuelans, a quarter of the population, have fled their homeland since 2014. This has been the largest forced displacement in Latin America and one of the largest globally.

Urruchurtu also stressed the urgency of freeing political prisoners, which ties directly to the powerful narratives in the documentary "Stories from El Helicoide: Echoes of Freedom." The film gives voice to three courageous survivors who recount, with deep pain and resilience, the harrowing experiences they endured as political prisoners at El Helicoide, a symbol of horror in Venezuela. Produced by CESCOS, a liberal think tank based in Uruguay, in collaboration with FNF, the documentary sheds light on the victims of an authoritarian regime that uses torture and repression as tools of control. The former prisoner’s stories expose to the international community the atrocities currently committed under the Maduro regime.

The interview and documentary are not merely a recounting of facts, but an urgent call for justice and a rallying cry to continue standing with those fighting for freedom in Venezuela.