CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Regina Garcia Cano reported and wrote an Associated Press story that described two women’s efforts to protest the Venezuelan government’s detention of their husbands. García Cano, along with video journalist Juan Arraz and photographer Ariana Cubillos, shadowed the women and 30 others during their 64-day protest outside a police station in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, where their husbands and loved ones are being held.
The protests tested the women’s health and resolve, as well as their willingness to resist the repressive impulses of the Venezuelan government. Even though the women returned home after removing the tent city outside the station, the journey of the two wives is not over – they are still looking for a way to free their husbands.
This is an interview with Garcia Cano by Dale Quentin Wilbur, who edited this story.
What did you want to write about these movements?
The Trump administration shocked Venezuelans when it backed a ruling party loyalist rather than a political opponent to lead the South American country after the US military ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro in January. Acting President Delsey Rodriguez’s government immediately released all US citizens in its prisons. But that has not freed hundreds of Venezuelans who have been detained by human rights groups on political grounds.
Five days after Maduro’s capture, the government announced it would release a large number of prisoners, and weeks later, Rodriguez signed into law an amnesty measure that could benefit thousands of dissidents and opposition figures previously or currently detained.
That’s when dozens of women, mostly wives and mothers of detainees, began gathering outside police stations, jails and prisons, hoping to see their loved ones freed. But they didn’t. Hundreds of women refused to leave and began camping in front of the same detention facilities to pressure the Venezuelan government.
How unusual are protests in Venezuela?
These sit-in protests were unthinkable before January 3. The Venezuelan government had by then made it clear that it had no tolerance for dissent. That was especially true after the 2024 presidential election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite substantial credible evidence to the contrary.
More than 2,000 people were detained after the election, many without protest. People were afraid and kept quiet.
What was special about this movement?
She is the first Venezuelan woman to challenge the ruling party in the post-Maduro era. Most shy housewives never protested. They put aside their fears, defy the advice of friends and family to stay sober, and risk arrest to stand up to the government. And for the most part, they succeeded.
Why did you focus on Mendoza and Rosales?
Video journalist Juan Arraz and I interviewed several women protesting outside the detention facility. He slept a few times in the camp where Mendoza and Rosales lived.
We focused on Mendoza and Rosales because both spent significant time in camps outside of prison, leaving their children and lives behind. They were strangers and became friends through their shared struggles.
Additionally, their families represent two different but very common life stories in Venezuela. In Rosales’ case, the wife and husband work for the state, support the ruling party and live in a once prosperous community. Meanwhile, Mendoza and her husband were apolitical and often depended on a private sector income.
What did you learn about the women at its center?
It was a story about opposition – but also about deep female friendship.
It was really special to see the women and their relationships in depth. They went from shy, quiet and suspicious strangers to chatty, frank and supportive friends. Together, they learned to protest, use a megaphone, advocate for lawmakers and navigate prison rules. They would hold each other and cry and celebrate the other’s victory. They talked through fear, love, parenting and doubts.
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