Dayana Heredia, Dominican citizen who has been detained in Venezuela since July 2024, has made a call to President Luis Abinader to receive assistance and explore ways that would allow managing her return to the Dominican Republic. In a video recently published, the young woman explained the circumstances that, according to her, led her to Venezuela and the seriousness of her current situation.
The case of Dayana Heredia
Heredia claims she was a victim of an alleged irregular transfer network operating from Colombia and that, supposedly, had coordination with Dominican citizens. Initially she was offered to be transferred to Spain, but the itinerary ended in Venezuelan territory, where she ended up under the custody of members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB). According to information provided by her relatives, the Dominican later received a 21-year sentence, which her family considers excessive.
Consular requests and family support
The relatives have requested consular assistance and institutional accompaniment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) since the beginning of the process. They have maintained communication with Miguel Reyes, director of Protection of Nationals at MIREX, although the family indicates that the actions taken so far have not met their expectations. María Heredia, Dayana’s sister, acknowledged the difficulties implied by the absence of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but asked to evaluate mechanisms that would allow providing assistance to the Dominican woman.
Intervention of the IACHR
The case was brought before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) through the petition identified as P‑184‑26 and a request for precautionary measures registered as MC‑144‑26 VE. The family alleged possible violations of due process and concerns about the conditions in which the Dominican woman remains. According to the relatives, Heredia has renal complications, attributable to difficulties related to water consumption and access within the facility where she is held.
The IACHR granted precautionary measures through Resolution 63/2026, dated August 10, 2026, in response to the concerns raised about her integrity and well‑being.
Petition to the Dominican Government
María Heredia explained that the family’s request does not seek for the Dominican Republic to interfere with the decisions of the Venezuelan judicial authorities nor to arrange an exit outside the established legal procedures. She cited article 2, paragraph 3, of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which separates the rupture of diplomatic relations from consular relations. The family reiterated its call to President Luis Abinader to arrange actions aimed at monitoring the process and evaluating the available avenues to seek the Dominican woman’s return to the country within the appropriate legal framework.
Source credits: diarioaldia.com
Note generated automatically from the sources cited in the text. Found an error? Email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it.
