Danielly Rodríguez

Share & more Seconds before the two earthquakes that would forever change her life hit Venezuela at about 6pm on 24 June, Jenny Mosquera heard an alarm beep on her smartphone. Like many, she didn’t have time to figure out it was a natural disaster alert before her building started shaking. “Everything happened in a matter of seconds. The alarm went off three times, but I didn’t understand what it was.

“I say goodbye with a broken heart; each passing day increases our pain. I only cry out for humanity. We are not asking for privileges, I only ask that they give us back the peace of mind of knowing that Joel is alive, healthy, and has the opportunity to defend himself.” This is how Evelin concluded her letter addressed to the Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, days after her son Joel Bravo Quiaro disappeared.

The US assault on Venezuela to kidnap and fly President Nicolás Maduro and his wife to New York to face criminal charges not only shocked the world for representing a blatant violation of international law and of a country’s sovereignty, it also marked a turning point in the lives of more than 35 million Venezuelans at home and abroad.