Born in 1976
Alcides José Bracho Vivas is a Venezuelan chemistry teacher, visual artist, labor union leader for the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM), and a member of the opposition political party Bandera Roja. Throughout 2022, he actively supported national demonstrations against the ONAPRE wage directive, which significantly reduced public sector salaries and labor benefits. His participation in peaceful labor protests and his defense of teachers’ rights made him a visible target of state repression. On July 4, 2022, while caring for his children at his home in El Junquito, Caracas, he was arbitrarily detained by heavily armed officials from the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) and the National Bolivarian Police (PNB), who entered his residence without presenting search or arrest warrants. During the operation, his family was threatened, and electronic equipment and personal belongings were seized. Bracho was initially held at the PNB headquarters in La Quebradita, where he remained handcuffed to a metal gate for approximately 48 hours, deprived of adequate food, denied access to sanitary facilities, and subjected to cruel and degrading treatment. He was subsequently transferred to the PNB detention center in Boleíta and held in the cell known as “El Tigrito,” characterized by extreme overcrowding that prevented detainees from lying down, as well as unsanitary conditions. He was later transferred to the La Yaguara detention center, where he remained while facing charges under Venezuelan anti-terrorism legislation. His criminal proceedings were marked by continuous delays, with hearings postponed on multiple occasions, preventing the case from reaching a final verdict. In August 2023, a special court with jurisdiction over terrorism sentenced Bracho and five other labor and political leaders to 16 years in prison—a decision widely condemned by the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Venezuelan human rights organizations as an example of the criminalization of union activity and peaceful dissent. Following sustained national and international pressure, Bracho was released in December 2023 as part of an agreement between the Venezuelan government and the political opposition. Although he regained his freedom, human rights organizations continue to maintain that his detention, prosecution, and imprisonment were arbitrary and that the violations committed against him have not been redressed.