Leonardo Augusto González Barreto

Twenty-one (21) projectile entry points were identified in the vehicle Leonardo González Barreto was driving on the day of his murder. One of those bullets pierced his back, traveled through his body, and reached his lungs.

My name is Olga González, and I am the wife of Leonardo González Barreto, whom the Venezuelan State murdered on July 27, 2017, for participating in a peaceful protest—just like hundreds of other Venezuelans. That day, Leonardo, along with a group of neighbors, was surprised by a group of forty (40) Carabobo state police officers, who arrived at the scene firing at protesters who were running in the midst of great confusion.

Leonardo, who had his car nearby, ran toward it. However, he did not leave until he got an 18-year-old youth who was fleeing from the police into his vehicle. By the time he managed to get him into the car, they were already being pursued by the police officers, who were joined by other officers from the Naguanagua municipality. More than forty (40) security officials pursued Leonardo and Luis—two citizens without any weapons who had decided to protest for a better country.

Even though my husband’s vehicle represented no threat to them, without any logic, the State security forces began firing at them: from the front, the rear, and the sides of the vehicle.

Leonardo and Luis were not armed.

Luis survived the ruthless, excessive, and disproportionate attack; he survived to tell the story, to relate the truth of what happened. Leonardo, however, was shot in the back while driving. When he felt he had been hit by a bullet, he stopped the vehicle, got out, and pleaded with the officers for help, raising his hands in search of aid: none answered his call.

He managed to walk a few meters before his body collapsed on the pavement. In just an instant, his life was extinguished, and with his life went my future, my dreams, and my hope.

Everything happened very close to our home. Some neighbors told me that something had occurred in the area and that officers were pursuing a vehicle similar to Leonardo’s. So, I decided to run to the site, only to see him there, lying on the ground—a body already lifeless.

The site was surrounded by police officers. They insisted on removing my husband’s body, so I requested the presence of Foro Penal and a prosecutor from the Public Ministry: I demanded an inspection of Leonardo’s body and his vehicle.

In Leonardo’s pockets, there were candies; in his vehicle, there were arepas, oatmeal, mineral water, and a tricolor flag he used for protesting.

Leonardo was a “Hospital Clown.” In 2014, he joined the non-profit organization Dr. Yaso, dedicating himself to bringing smiles to children and cancer patients in hospitals and public institutions. He was also an animal welfare advocate and a dedicated worker with a career spanning over 18 years. Leonardo was a social leader, loved and esteemed by many.

He was the kind of person who would stop in the middle of the night on a dark, unsafe highway to help someone who had broken down. He always had something to give to those in need. A wonderful husband and an exemplary father who, year after year at Christmas, would dress up as Santa and sacrifice his role as a father so his three daughters could keep the holiday spirit alive.

Leonardo González Barreto was murdered by the Venezuelan State. Within the first 24 hours of his death, the Prosecutor’s Office presented officer Ronald Vidal Paternina before the 4th Control Court as the person allegedly responsible for Leonardo’s death.

In January 2018, six months later, the 49th National Prosecutor’s Office and the 35th Prosecutor’s Office of Carabobo State—both specializing in Fundamental Rights—charged five more police officers, totaling six officials involved: two from the Carabobo State Police and four from the Municipal Police.

In early November 2018, the preliminary hearing took place, and on June 5, 2019, the trial began. After 27 hearings and 16 months of trial proceedings, on October 8, 2020, the judge of the 7th Trial Court of Carabobo State declared the trial interrupted.

It took the Venezuelan State 5 years, 39 courtroom encounters, and 9 deferrals due to the failure to transport the defendants to finally hand down a sentence. For a long time, I felt I wouldn’t make it; and even though this is a victory, I know that hundreds of Venezuelans are still in this fight for the truth.

Prosecutors were changed repeatedly; I felt like a victim of their abuses and humiliations over and over again, to the point where they almost made me give up. I won’t lie—I was exhausted by hours turning into days and days into years.

After two trial interruptions, nine different prosecutors, more than 100 hearings, and 4 years and 4 months, on November 4, 2021, after 2:00 AM, the six (6) accused officers were found guilty.

As a reflection, I can tell you that my life changed on July 27, 2017. It changed because they snatched away my love; because from one moment to the next, I was left alone, with nothing. However, I can also tell you that on that day, they sowed in my heart the greatest principle a human being can have: that of JUSTICE and the search for TRUTH. I wish to keep alive the memory of each and every Venezuelan murdered for protesting and wanting a different country.

How many bullets does it take to achieve justice? I don’t know, but I can assure you that I achieved it without firing a single one.