Published at: 03/07/2024 09:00 PM

(POINT, July 17, 1973)

• On June 29, 1973, Noel Rodríguez Mata, a young student of Economics at the UCV and member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), was kidnapped, during the first administration of Rafael Caldera, by a commission from the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DIM).
• The arrest occurred on Avenida Universidad de Caracas, minutes after making a contact on the corner of La Pelota.
• From there, he was transferred to Cocollar, Sucre state, home of the Theater of Operations 4 (TO4), where he was subjected to torture that caused his death on August 6, 1973.
• After 40 years, thanks to the tireless search for her mother, Zeneida Mata de Rodríguez, and the procedural speed ordered by President Hugo Chávez, her remains were found and they were able to receive posthumous homage from their friends and family.
• The remains of the young man, an economics student at the UCV and Red Flag leader, were hidden by state security forces in a niche in the General Cemetery of the South, where they remained under false identification for more than 40 years.
• On February 12, 2013, they were transferred to El Tigre, Anzoátegui state, where they were received by the governor of that entity, Aristobulo Istúriz.
• The location of the remains of Noel Rodríguez was a historic and unprecedented step in the fight for Human Rights, the reconstruction of Social Memory and the consolidation of the collective conscience of the Venezuelan people.
• Noel's mother, Zenaida Mata de Rodríguez, presided over the event in the company of the President of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello Rondón.
• Since the arrival of Commander Hugo Chávez to the government, a series of relevant actions have been taken to rescue and vindicate the victims of State terrorism practiced by the governments of the Fourth Republic.
• To achieve this purpose, on November 25, 2011, in Official Gazette No. 39,808, the Law to Punish Crimes, Disappearances, Torture and Human Rights Violations included in those forty years of puntofijist democracy was enacted.
• Noel was yet another victim of Rafael Caldera's “Pacification Policy”. This June 29 marked the 51st anniversary of his forced disappearance.
• Some of the “pacified” of that government include:
• Ángel María Castillo “Pancho Alegría” — Charallave.
• Jesús Márquez Finol “Motilón” — Caracas.
• Marvin Marin Sanchez — Caracas.
• Jose Cornelio Alvarado- Maracay.
• Alejandro Tejero Cuenca — Caracas.
• Luis Alberto Hernandez — Caracas.
• Benito Torres — Barinas.
• Rufino Urquiola — Barinas.
• Bartolomé Vielma — Valencia.
• Argenis Reyna — Caracas.
• Aurelio Trocett Calma — Monagas.
• Jose Rafael Bottini Marin — Caracas.
• Ramon Antonio Alvarez — Caracas.
• Edmundo Hernández — The Victory.
• José Elio Sánchez Romero — The victory.
• Luís Eduardo Coll — The victory.
• Francisco Acosta Garcia — The Victory.
• Aniceto Lopez Sanz — Cumana.

Mazo News Team