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On July 10, 2025, Stanford professors Francis Fukuyama and Kathryn Stoner issued a joint demand calling for the immediate release of Jesús Armas, a Venezuelan pro-democracy activist and incoming Stanford student.
Armas, a 2022 Fisher Family Fellow at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and incoming Ford Dorsey Master’s student in International Policy, was abducted from a coffee shop in Caracas in December 2024. Witnesses report that six masked men in unmarked uniforms seized him without a warrant, handcuffed him, and drove him to El Helicoide, a notorious prison accused of holding and torturing political dissidents.
The Review spoke to Fukuyama, who stated, “Jesús Armas was part of a cohort of dedicated and courageous democracy activists seeking freedom for their countries and is being punished for that bravery. We at CDDRL are outraged at his arrest and demand that the Venezuelan government release him immediately.”
Armas was a key organizer of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González's presidential campaign, playing a central role in promoting peaceful democratic participation, whilst opposing Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime. In addition to his arbitrary detention, Mr. Armas’s captors tortured him, employing asphyxiation and prolonged restraint, to compel him to offer information leading to the arrest of other pro-democracy activists.
Beyond Stanford, RFK Human Rights president Kerry Kennedy condemned the Maduro regime for “forcibly disappearing Jesús Armas,” calling the act arbitrary, cruel, and in violation of international law.
The McCain Institute has urged global actors to press Caracas for his release, arguing that freeing Armas is not merely a matter of justice but a vital step toward restoring democratic norms and human rights in Venezuela.
On December 31, 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures in favor of Jesús Armas, deeming the regime's actions an urgent risk to his life and personal integrity. The IACHR called on the Venezuelan authorities to protect his rights and ensure his well-being, yet no meaningful action has been taken to comply with these measures.
Armas’s plight epitomises Venezuela’s battle for freedom against the Maduro regime. The broader Stanford community awaits the immediate release of pro-democracy activist and future classmate Jesús Armas.
