One year ago, María Oropeza, Venezuelan LOLA leader, lawyer, and chief of campaign for María Corina Machado, was violently taken from her home in Portuguesa, Venezuela. It was August 6, 2024, when armed agents from Venezuela’s military intelligence stormed in without a warrant. She was arrested mid-livestream, disappeared without a trace, and later shown in a government-released video being transferred to El Helicoide—Latin America’s most notorious political prison and biggest torture center.
Her “crime”? Daring to challenge the regime.
As the person responsible for securing a historic 64% win for opposition candidate Edmundo González in a state long considered a socialist stronghold, María became a powerful symbol of the liberty movement’s momentum. And that made her a target.
Since then, she’s been held on politically motivated charges, including terrorism and incitement to hatred, absurd accusations widely condemned by human rights defenders. She has endured harsh conditions, isolation from her family, and restricted access to legal counsel.
Yet even behind bars, María’s courage continues to echo far beyond El Helicoide. Her story is a painful reminder of what authoritarian regimes fear most: principled women who lead with conviction.
Today, as we mark one year since her disappearance, we honor María as a symbol of courage and conviction, inspiring leaders within LOLA and beyond.
After a year - What's María current situation?
Today, María remains in El Helicoide, one of the most notorious torture centers in Latin America. She’s endured a year of isolation, with limited communication, legal access, and inhumane conditions. Her mother is allowed brief, heavily monitored visits every 15 days—her only link to the outside world.
Despite injustice and hardship, María remains unshaken. She continues to hold on to hope, firmly believing that Venezuela will be free—and that she will be, too.
What LOLA has done
Filed a formal petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH)
We submitted an urgent request for protective measures on María’s behalf, demanding international attention and intervention in her case.
Led global mobilization efforts
LOLA chapters around the world organized protests, awareness campaigns, and public demonstrations calling for María’s release and condemning her unlawful detention.
Launched a fundraising campaign
To support María’s family during her imprisonment, we coordinated an international effort to raise funds for legal assistance and necessities—raising $5,000 thanks to the generosity of our global network.
Published monthly updates
Since August 2024, we have consistently shared María’s story across our platforms, ensuring her case remains visible and her voice never forgotten.
Engaged with media and human rights organizations
Through op-eds, interviews, and strategic outreach, we’ve worked to put pressure on the Venezuelan regime and elevate María’s case in the global discourse.
Honoring María through action:
The MOAF fellowship and upcoming documentary
In honor of María, LOLA launched the María Oropeza Activist Fellowship (MOAF)—a bold program designed to empower the most promising LOLA leaders to challenge authoritarianism with the ideas of liberty.
While the streets and universities have long been dominated by socialist activism, the MOAF equipped LOLA leaders with the tools, knowledge, and strategy to reclaim that space. Through 50 intensive training sessions—in strategic activism, media and social media strategy, networking, fundraising, legal support, public speaking, safety, and self-care—10 incredible LOLAs earned a place in the program’s first cohort.
From August 31 to September 4, they will travel to Brazil to continue their journey through advanced advocacy training. During this exclusive workshop, fellows will deepen the skills gained during the online fellowship through in-person workshops and mentorship; collaborate on liberty-based projects and campaigns with support from LOLA’s global network; and strengthen bonds with fellow activists while experiencing the power of in-person sisterhood.
This is more than a fellowship. It’s a statement: liberty has a future, and LOLA is preparing female leaders for it!
To further elevate María’s story, LOLA is currently producing a powerful documentary:“María Oropeza and María Corina – A Legacy of Resistance.”
For over two decades, Venezuela has lived under authoritarian rule. As pressure against the Maduro regime mounts, repression has intensified. This film tells the story of two brave women—María Oropeza, a young activist detained live on Instagram and imprisoned without due process, and María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s top opposition figure, banned from office and confined within her own country.
Through intimate interviews with family, exiled allies, and international supporters, the film retraces the path that led to María’s arrest—and how her voice, though silenced, ignited a global outcry.
This documentary is urgent. It will not only document the human cost of dictatorship but amplify the voices of those who continue to fight for freedom—no matter the risks.
How you can help
María Oropeza has spent a year behind bars for daring to speak out. You can take action today to raise her voice and demand her freedom.
Write to governments, human rights organizations, journalists, ministers, and members of Congress. Urge them to speak out and take diplomatic action for María’s release.
Help us tell María’s story to the world. LOLA is producing a powerful documentary about María Oropeza and María Corina Machado. Your support will help us bring global attention to their courage and the fight for freedom. Write ‘Documentary’ in the memo.
We had prepared graphics to raise awareness about María’s case on social media. Use the hashtag #FreeMariaOropeza and tag @ladiesofliberty and your local representatives.
Thank you for your support to María
María Oropeza’s courage reminds us what it means to stand for freedom, even when the cost is high. One year after her arrest, her voice echoes far beyond the walls of El Helicoide. It lives in every woman who dares to speak, to organize, to resist.
At LOLA, we will not let the world forget. We will continue to fight for María—and for every woman silenced by authoritarian regimes.
Because María’s story is not just hers. It’s Venezuela’s. It’s liberty. It’s ours.
And it’s far from over.
✊🏽 Let’s make sure her next anniversary is one of freedom.
