Published at: 14/05/2025 09:00 PM

(Clarín, May 12, 1962 and Victims of Representative Democracy in Venezuela, author: Raúl Zurita Daza)

• At the time of the bipartisan dictatorship of Democratic Action and Copei, the governments of their presidents were responsible for mourning thousands of Venezuelan families, whose heads of household were forced to spend their days remembering their absent sons or daughters, who perished at the hands of police forces and Adeco-Copeyan armed gangs.
• While the entire country spent decades celebrating Mother's Day, thousands of women had to bury their joys because of the raids, kidnappings, torture, shootings and disappearances of their children or spouses.
• However, these mothers were not intimidated by that regime of terror, they raised their voices to denounce the atrocities and truths of what happened. They remain inscribed in history because of their incredible courage and moral greatness.
• Some of those who were killed or survived by their children are:
  • On May 9, 1961, the day that Romulo Betancourt outlawed the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) and the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), the police killed Eduviges Colorado, 50, mother of a child, and Elulalia Fuenmayor, 36, mother of 9 children.
  • On May 12, 1962, in the midst of political persecution triggered by the disqualification of the PCV and the MIR, María Teresa Montesinos, a 26-year-old mother, was murdered by the police.
  • On November 11, 1961, she was shot dead by the police, Livia González, she was pregnant and left two children orphaned.
  • Lola Camero de Gouverneur , mother of Livia Gouverneur, a young psychology student and symbol of communist youth, who was murdered on November 1, 1961 by baptistery mercenaries, in Quinta La Hogareña, Las Acacias sector of Sabana Grande.
  • Eduvigis de Ruíz, mother of 14-year-old Álvaro Ruíz, who was murdered on April 4, 1962 outside the Luis Ezpelosin High School, by armed AD groups.
  • Rosa Marcano de Millán , mother of Alberto Millán, who was massacred on May 4, 1962 at the Liceo Miguel José Sanz de Maturín by agents of AD.
  • Fanny Silva de Guerra, mother of Rafael Guerra, murdered during the massacre at Liceo Sanz de Maturín on May 4, 1962, by armed gangs of AD.
  • Francia Álvarez, mother of Lídice Álvarez, a high school student at the Fermín Toro High School, who was murdered on October 19, 1963 in Plaza Venezuela, while protesting against the North American company Columbia Pictures.
  • María de Jesús Morgado , grandmother of Aquiles Bellorín Morgado, a fierce popular fighter, assassinated at the age of 25, on March 4, 1962 by Digepol in Lídice.
  • Petra de Wockmer, mother of 14-year-old Mario Guillermo Wockmer, who studied at the Martín J. Sanabria School until he was killed on January 3, 1960 by the government's armed apparatus.
  • Ana Dolores Martín, mother of Antonio Martín, who was assassinated in El Retiro, on December 16, 1961, during the riots caused by J. F. Kennedy's visit to Venezuela.

• Cruz Herrera de Pinto, mother of José Gregorio Pinto, a 19-year-old Urredist, who was shot in the back by plain-clothed police officers in the El Polvorín neighborhood, on April 28, 1963.
• Carmen de Mezones , mother of Alberto Rudas Mezones, 18, who was shot down on the corner of Angelitos on November 15, 1961, while protesting against the severance of relations between the Betancourt government and Cuba.
• Omaira Castrellón , mother of 13-year-old Ali Antonio Castrellón, who was murdered on January 12, 1962 by members of the Municipal Police in Lídice.
• Rosa Rojas de Soto, mother of sociologist Víctor Soto Rojas, 31, who was shot and disappeared in the mountains of El Bachiller in July 1964.
• Lucía Daza, mother of Iván “Chino” Daza, who was arrested and shot with Paramaconi Laya, by armed AD gangs, on January 23, 1966, in the vicinity of El Tocuyo, edo. Lara.
• Argelia Laya, mother of Paramaconi Laya, arrested and shot together with the “Chinese Daza”, on January 23, 1966.
• Aura Blanca Vetancourt de Vera, mother of Luis Vera Vetancourt “Plutarco”, shot down by Digepol with Fabricio Aristiguieta in the El Nazareno neighborhood of Petare, on August 25, 1967.
• Sixta Colina de Petit, mother of José Agustín and Amado Petit. Both were arrested and disappeared by the government of Raúl Leoni.
• Elena Reina, mother of Argelio and Carlos Reina. Both were victims of Rafael Caldera's “pacification policy”. Argelio was arrested on February 15, 1973 while visiting some political prisoners in San Juan de los Morros. Two days later, his body was handed over to his relatives with signs of savage torture. His brother**, Carlos, ** was a distributor of the newspaper Punto, and was executed, on March 5, 1969, with an FAL shot in the back by National Guard officers on January 23.
• Ana Suárez de Pasquier, mother of Ramón and Andrés Pasquier. Ramón Salvador, a UCV engineering student, was arrested at 2:00am on November 27, 1966, in a checkpoint near the town of San Juan de los Cayos in the state of Edo. Falcon. Andrés, a law student, had already been kidnapped on October 16 of that year. Their mother searched for them all over the country. To this day they remain missing.
• Zenaida Mata de Rodríguez, mother of 33-year-old Noel Rodríguez, arrested by police officers on June 29, 1973. His remains were found, 40 years later, in a niche in the General Cemetery of the South on January 19, 2013.
• Eloína Rodríguez, mother of Jorge Rodríguez, 34, leader and founder of the Socialist League. He was kidnapped on July 23, 1976 by agents of the DISIP. Two days later, after savage torture and beatings, he was found dead in a cell at that police headquarters.
• Elba Marín de Bottini, mother of Rafael and Federico Bottini Marín. Rafael was shot down by the PTJ in front of the house of industrialist and tin magnate Carlos Domínguez, in what is known as the massacre of Páez Avenue in El Paraíso.
• María Teresa Cuenca de Tejero , mother of Alejandro Tejero, who was kidnapped on May 11, 1967 with his partner Eduardo Navarro Laurens, near the Broadway cinema in Chacaito. From there, they were transferred to the TO-5 in Yumare, where they were tortured and have disappeared to this day.
• On November 27, 1977, after searching for her son, Luis Hernández, who disappeared by police forces, Rosa Emilia Hernández died. The government of Carlos Andrés Pérez never answered his pleas.
• All of them, not to mention the mothers, widows and orphans of the massacres of: Cantaura, El Caracazo, Yumare, Macarao, Las Moritas, El Amparo, La Victoria, El Paraíso and the one in Valencia.
• Like the mothers of more than 11,000 Venezuelans who fell victim to kidnappings, torture, shootings and forced disappearances, imposed by the bipartisan dictatorship, to make way for the bloodiest chapter in our contemporary history.

Mazo News Team