The sentence against those accused of the frustrated assassination of August 4, 2018 was known in the early hours of this Thursday, just four years after the event.
This August 4, Judge Hennit López Mesa issued the rulings, with sentences of up to 30 years in prison. after a long trial full of irregularities, according to complaints from the defendants’ defenders.
The frustrated assassination was an operation in which there was an attack with two drones in the surroundings of Bolívar Avenue, in the center of Caracas, four years ago. That day an act was held in honor of the 81st anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), in which President Nicolás Maduro, First Lady Cilia Flores and the military high command participated.
For this case they were condemned three women: Yanín Fabiana Pernía Coronel, Ángela Expósito and Emirlendris Benítez. Pernía and Benítez received a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; while Expósito was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Yanin Fabiana Pernia Colonel
She was arbitrarily detained on August 4, 2018, when she was passing through a sales tax in the sector known as Masparro, at kilometer 25 of the José Antonio Páez highway in Barinas state.
After her arrest, she was transferred to the headquarters of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (dgcim) located in Boleíta, Caracas, along with three other people. She was allegedly accused of being involved in the assassination attempt against Nicolás Maduro.
The young woman suffered forced disappearance, torture and sexual violence. “She was beaten, hung, electrocuted, suffocated, drowned, victim of lewd acts and nail crushing,” said her defense.
Pernía was presented before the 1st Court of Control with Jurisdiction in Terrorism, with visible traces of torture. He was charged with the crimes of terrorism, attempted murder, among others.
Early this Thursday morning she was sentenced to 30 years in prison for allegedly having participated in the attack against Maduro. Her defense and her relatives have denied that Pernía is involved in the crimes she was charged with.
Emirlendris Benitez
Emirlendris Benítez was arrested on August 5, 2018. The 41-year-old woman accompanied her husband on a taxi service that he provided.
Police authorities detained them in a sales tax security in the Portuguesa state; They were both arrested and transferred to Caracas. They accused her of participating in the assassination attempt against Nicolás Maduro; she has since been detained for a crime she claimed she did not commit.
During his almost four years in prison, he has been the victim of tortures, cruel and degrading treatment; In addition, he suffered abortion, because when she was arrested she was four months pregnant. She was detained for a year at the headquarters of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (Dgcim) of Boleíta, in the state of Miranda, until she was transferred to the women’s prison.
Benítez was sentenced to 30 years in prison. She was charged with the crimes of frustrated homicide, terrorism and treason.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the United Nations Organization (UN) assured that Benítez’s detention is arbitrary and therefore should be released immediately.
Angela Exposito
Ángela Lizbeth Expósito Carrillo was arrested on September 23, 2018. She was accused of disguise justice to Henryberth Enmanuel Rivas Vivas, allegedly involved in the so-called assassination attempt against Nicolás Maduro.
Jorge Rodríguez, who at that time was Minister of Communication of the Chavista administration, assured that the woman hid in his houselocated in the state of Miranda.
Angela is the director of a animal protection organization. They accused her of allegedly keeping some pets of politically persecuted people under her care, particularly in the case of Oscar Pérez’s dog, according to a statement given by Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal.
Expósito was sentenced to pay 24 years in prison, for crimes that the defense claims he did not commit.
