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The Republican senator Rick Scott demanded on Friday that Washington reimpose immediate sanctions against Delcy Rodríguez following the announcement of the death of the Venezuelan political prisoner Víctor Hugo Quero Navas.
In a post published on the social network X, Scott accused chavismo of having "kidnapped, tortured, isolated, and murdered" the young Venezuelan, whose death was recently confirmed by the authorities.
"The brutality of Maduro's dictatorship, now led by Delcy Rodríguez, knows no bounds," affirmed the U.S. senator.
Scott also emphasized that the victim's mother, Carmen Teresa Navas, spent 16 months seeking answers while the authorities remained silent about her son's whereabouts.
According to official information released by the Ministry of Prisons, Víctor Hugo Quero Navas died on July 24, 2025, at the Carlos Arvelo Military Hospital. However, human rights organizations and opposition leaders are questioning the official version and are alleging possible torture and enforced disappearance.
The opposition leader María Corina Machado also reacted to the case and accused the Venezuelan regime of committing a “crime against humanity.”
The case sparked international pressure and led the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to grant precautionary measures for both Quero Navas and his mother.
Rick Scott once again called for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Venezuela and warned that those responsible "will face justice."
The senator's call contrasts with the stance of the Trump administration, which removed Rodríguez from the OFAC sanctions list on April 1, 2026, after formally recognizing her as the head of state of Venezuela in March. Trump himself had praised her, stating that “she is doing a great job”.
It is not the first time that Scott has confronted Rodríguez. Last Monday, he had already referred to her as the “head of a cartel” and “despicable”, and in January he warned that “she would face the same fate as Maduro” if she challenged the United States.
The Quero Navas case is part of a documented pattern of deaths in custody: at least eight political prisoners have died in Venezuelan prisons since July 2024. On Wednesday, the Voluntad Popular party denounced the modus operandi of Rodríguez's regime, which consists of detaining opponents, presenting them without legal basis, and releasing them under precautionary measures that prevent them from exercising their rights.
The Foro Penal verified only 768 actual releases compared to the 8,616 proclaimed by the Venezuelan government since the start of the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, which was abruptly closed on April 25 with more than 500 political prisoners still incarcerated.
"All political prisoners in Venezuela, including the disappeared, must be released now. Every person responsible for this crime against humanity will face justice," concluded Scott.
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