Former San Cristobal mayor Daniel Ceballos was transferred from the Ramo Verde military prison near Caracas to a prison in San Juan de los Morros, in Guarico state, approximately 150 kilometres away. The transfer happened some time between 12:00 AM and 7:00 AM local time.
The surprise move apparently took place overnight. None of Ceballos’ lawyers or relatives, including his wife and current mayor of San Cristobal, were aware that a move was planned or that it took place. Ceballos’ wife, Patricia de Ceballos, learned of the move early this morning and took to Twitter to spread the news.
Ceballos’ current whereabouts have not been independently confirmed by either his lawyers or any of his family members. He has been in prison since March 20, 2014 for failing to stop anti-government protests in San Cristobal.
Lopez’s Current Location Unclear
Leopoldo Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, was denied access to her husband today at the Ramo Verde military prison, fuelling fears that the country’s most famous political prisoner had also been transferred to another facility.
Tintori had gone to Ramo Verde to see her husband after learning of the Ceballos transfer, but was told the following by prison authorities:
They told me not to come tomorrow, because they wouldn’t let us in (…) I’m going back home now to my children, worrying that they’ll transfer him.
MUD Reacts to Surprise Move
Jesus Torrealba, the head of the Mesa de la Unidad Democratica, summoned a press conference to talk about Ceballos’ move. Torrealba said that for all intents and purposes, Ceballos was “missing”:
If the family members and lawyers of Daniel Ceballos and Leopoldo Lopez have not seen them, and have no knowledge of where they are, then they have both technically been kidnapped and are missing. This is how serious this situation is. It’s another aggression from Maduro, an assault by thugs on a people who want peace and democracy.
The national coordinator of the Voluntad Popular party said that he had learned that SEBIN agents had sought a judge’s approval to move Ceballos during the overnight hours, and that they shaved his head prior to the transfer.
Int’l Community Reponds
Human Rights Watch has issued a statement protesting the Ceballos transfer, saying that it placed him in “serious and imminent danger” since the prison to which he has been transferred houses violent criminals.
Speaking on behalf of the United States government, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson called for Ceballos’ release, and said that it was “worrying” that he had been moved to a far-away prison without notice.
In Venezuela 