From exile in Buenos Aires, this Venezuelan survives her mother's imprisonment in El Helicoide

Gabriela Hernández left Venezuela just over a year ago, heartbroken over having to abandon her mother behind bars. While her grandmother tries to keep hope alive by visiting Nélida Sánchez every week in Caracas’s most feared political prison, the 32-year-old lawyer recounts from Buenos Aires how her mother remains alive under extreme conditions. “My mom is in a windowless cell. One of the first things she asked for when she was able to communicate was a watch because she doesn’t even know if it’s day or night,” she says with a broken voice.

The Sebin Trap: How This Venezuelan Activist Was Captured

It all began on August 26, 2024, amid Venezuela’s political turmoil. Nicolás Maduro’s regime had declared itself the winner of the national elections while the opposition presented evidence of fraud. That day, Nélida Sánchez received a call from her ex-partner informing her of a supposed heart attack hospitalization. When she headed to the medical center, two undercover agents from the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) intercepted her. “They were going to take her just to the police station for an interview,” Gabriela explains. It was a coordinated deception.

Her ex-boyfriend had been detained by SEBIN the day before and was forced to make the call. What should have been a few hours in custody turned into indefinite detention. Nélida entered that police station on Monday and never returned home.

Why Was This Venezuelan Targeted? Súmate’s Role in Exposing the Fraud

Both Nélida and Gabriela volunteered with Súmate, a civil organization founded in 2002 by María Corina Machado. Within the organization, Gabriela’s mother was responsible for coordinating the training of electoral prosecutors, also known as electoral observers. This role made her a target of the regime.

“SEBIN was mainly after her because of her role in publishing the electoral records that Súmate disseminated. When they interrogated her, they insisted heavily on obtaining information about who was involved in that process. But she wasn’t the one who actually carried out the publication,” Gabriela explains. The regime couldn’t find the leaders of Súmate, so they decided to imprison her mother as retaliation. “Basically, they detained her because they couldn’t find the people they were really looking for,” she adds.

Enclosed in Darkness: Daily Life in El Helicoide

Nélida was transferred to El Helicoide, the maximum-security building functioning as a Venezuelan intelligence prison. There, Gabriela’s mother shares a cell with three other women, all political prisoners. The conditions are brutal: blind walls without windows, metal doors with only a tiny grille that opens only from the outside.

The daily routine is monotonous and depressing. She wakes up not knowing if it’s raining or the sun is shining outside. She eats in darkness, shares a cramped space with her cellmates, and waits for days when she’s not allowed to go to the yard. For months, the regime only allowed two 30-minute outdoor breaks per week. There were periods when the cells remained locked all day.

Despite these inhumane conditions, a community of solidarity has formed among the prisoners. Nélida, naturally helpful, has asked for clothes and shoes for new inmates arriving from other states, many of whom don’t even know they are imprisoned. “A beautiful brotherhood has been created,” Gabriela says. “Any political prisoner who’s been released will tell you: in adversity, an extraordinary fraternity emerges.”

The Charges: Five Accusations Without Accessible Evidence

The regime accuses Nélida of five crimes: conspiracy, incitement to hatred, terrorism, conspiracy, and treason. However, she has no access to her judicial file, nor to a private lawyer. The prison system prevents private attorneys from entering El Helicoide.

It is Gabriela’s younger sister, from Venezuela, who handles the legal process. She attends hearings at the Public Defender’s Office, appears before courts, and makes weekly visits. Their grandmother also joins these visits. Both meet with Nélida once a week, sitting at a table in the corridor next to the cell bars.

The Exile of This Venezuelan: When You Have to Leave Everything Behind

When the persecution began, Gabriela was in Colombia for work. Her family warned her not to return to Venezuela. Heartbroken, she unexpectedly moved to Buenos Aires just over a year ago. She left her profession, her family, her homeland. But she gained security: if she had stayed in Venezuela, she would probably also be imprisoned.

Every morning, she wakes up in the Argentine capital hopeful for news of her mother’s release. With the political change that began in January when Nicolás Maduro was captured and the U.S. intervention took place, there are more chances that her mother will be freed in the upcoming releases. Since January 3, when the bombings in Caracas were heard, the atmosphere in El Helicoide has changed. Hope has entered that prison for the first time.

The Daily Waiting: Living with a Hope That Rejuvenates Each Morning

For Gabriela’s family, each day is an emotional rollercoaster. At night, when the day ends without news, hope fades. But at dawn, it is reborn. Her grandmother repeats every morning: “Today is the day my daughter comes home.”

The family has found ways to stay connected from afar. Every morning, they greet each other via a WhatsApp group. If one falters, the others lift them up. Gabriela recognizes that this mutual support has been essential to survive exile and anguish.

Recently, during a visit, Gabriela learned that her mother had groomed herself: she did her nails, dyed her hair. She has everything tied up, waiting for the day she’s called and told she can go home. It’s the first time in a year and a half that Nélida lives with such real hope. Her 57th birthday is coming up, and if she is released before then, she could celebrate it for the first time in freedom since her detention.

Reintegration and Reunification: What This Venezuelan Exile Hopes for When Her Mother Is Free

“If they release her, I won’t go back to Venezuela. As long as Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, and Jorge Rodríguez hold power, anyone can be detained at any moment,” Gabriela warns. Security conditions still do not permit her return.

When her mother is released, she will face a deep process of reintegration. A year and a half in a blind cell leaves marks on the body and mind. She will have to relearn waking up in her own bed, understand that she is free again, and process the trauma of captivity. It will be a slow and delicate journey.

Gabriela dreams of the day she can bring her mother to Buenos Aires so she can see where she has lived this past year. “I want her to see how beautiful this city is, to see where I’ve been,” she says. First, the reintegration. Then, the reunion. And maybe, someday, this exiled Venezuelan can return to be with her mother without fear.