Carlos Vecchio left Yale in December to help run some local elections in his native Venezuela. Now he is on the run.
Vecchio, a 2013 Yale World Fellow, is cofounder and national political director of the opposition party Voluntad Popular. Earlier this week, amid street protests that have left five people dead, the national government raided the party's headquarters; arrested its leader, Leopolo López; and issued a warrant for Vecchio's arrest.
"Some serious charges have been leveled against Carlos," says an article on the World Fellows website. "With López’s detention, Carlos now serves as the de facto leader of the VP party: this makes him a likely government target. We are deeply concerned for Carlos’ safety: he is currently in hiding in Venezuela with limited access to communication."
The World Fellows staff is asking supporters to spread the word about Vecchio and about an Amnesty International action alert on his behalf.
"Unlike López, he is not an internationally recognizable figure," they write. "We worry that his relative anonymity will allow government forces the space and ability to do whatever they will without fear of international repercussion."
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The Yale Alumni Magazine is published by Yale Alumni Publications Inc., an alumni-based nonprofit that is not run by Yale University. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration.
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