Blanca Elena del Valle Guerrero is a Venezuelan mother and citizen who was arbitrarily detained alongside her two sons, José Rafael Castellanos Guerrero, a political leader of Vente Joven in Lara state, and Omario Castellanos, a journalist and Social Communication student. On October 16, 2025, security officials broke into their family residence in Barquisimeto, Lara state, without presenting a search warrant, causing material damage to the home and confiscating personal property, money, and work tools belonging to her sons. Following their arrest, Blanca and her sons were transferred to separate detention centers. Blanca was held at the center known as La Crisálida, while her sons were sent to other penitentiary facilities. For approximately four months, she remained without sufficient information regarding her sons’ condition, causing deep emotional distress and anxiety. During her deprivation of liberty, she reported inadequate detention conditions, including a lack of medical care, deficient food, and having to sleep on the floor for over a month. Although she did not report physical torture, Blanca noted that the separation from her children and the conditions of detention constituted significant psychological suffering. After months deprived of liberty, she was released on February 1, 2026, alongside her son José Rafael Castellanos, while her other son, Omario Castellanos, had been previously released on January 14, 2026. Her case reflects the impact of political persecution not only on activists and leaders, but also on their family members, who have been targeted in procedures denounced as arbitrary.
