Statement on the Abduction of Summer Fellows Alum Jesús Armas (2022, Venezuela)

The faculty and staff of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), as well as the undersigned alumni of the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program (FFSF, formerly known as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program, DHSF), demand the immediate and safe release of our friend and colleague, Jesús Armas, who has been kidnapped by agents of the Venezuelan government.

Jesús has bravely worked with the opposition to promote fair elections and uphold democracy in Venezuela. His abduction is a blatant act of repression aimed at silencing his vital work for freedom and justice.

We call on the Venezuelan government to release Jesús immediately and urge the international community to condemn this attack on democracy and human rights. Jesús inspires us all, and we stand united in solidarity with him and his fight for a brighter future for Venezuela.

Signed,

Tatevik Matinyan, Armenia (DHSF 2022)

Daria Minsky, Belarus (DHSF 2022)

Mariana Mello, Brazil (DHSF 2022)

Tainah Pereira, Brazil (DHSF 2022)

Assefa Getaneh, Ethiopia (DHSF 2022)

Zurab Sanikidze, Georgia (DHSF 2022)

Gabriel Reyes Silva, Guatemala (DHSF 2022)

Ritu Sain, India (DHSF 2022)

Aida Aidarkulova, Kazakhstan (DHSF 2022)

Carol Kiangura, Kenya (DHSF 2022)

Jacqueline Akinyi Okeyo Manani, Kenya (DHSF 2022)

Ainura Usupbekova, Kyrgyz Republic (DHSF 2022)

Alaa Al Sayegh, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Jad Maalouf, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Natasha E. Feghali, Lebanon (DHSF 2022)

Mariela Saldivar Villalobos, Mexico (DHSF 2022)

Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar, Mongolia (DHSF 2022)

Sarita Pariyar, Nepal (DHSF 2022)

Dr. Babatunde Omilola, Nigeria (DHSF 2022)

Daniel Alfaro, Peru (DHSF 2022)

Andréa Ngombet, Republic of Congo (DHSF 2022)

Jamus Lim, Singapore (DHSF 2022)

Anchal Baniparsadh, South Africa (DHSF 2022)

Geline Alfred Fuko, Tanzania (DHSF 2022)

Ornella Moderan, Togo (DHSF 2022)

Emna Krichene, Tunisia (DHSF 2022)

Denis Gutenko, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Nariman Ustaiev, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Yulia Bezvershenko, Ukraine (DHSF 2022)

Rayhan Asat, Uyghur human rights lawyer / USA (DHSF 2022)

Tien Trung Nguyen, Vietnam (DHSF 2022)

Brett Carter, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California; Hoover Fellow, Stanford University; Affiliate, CDDRL, Stanford University, USA

Biljana Spasovska, Executive Director, BCSDN, North Macedonia (FFSF 2024)

Sunny Cheung, Hong Kong (FFSF 2023)

Hector Fuentes, Visiting Scholar at CDDRL, Venezuela (FFSF 2024)

Erik Jensen, Affiliated Faculty, CDDRL, USA

Khatia, Former member of the Parliament, Georgia (FFSF 2024)

Mykhailo Pavliuk, Chernivtsi Oblast Legislature, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Alice Siu, Deliberative Democracy Lab, USA

María Ignacia Curiel, Researcher at Poverty, Violence and Governance Lab, CDDRL, Stanford, USA 

Thao Dinh, Coordinator of Civil Society Forum, Vietnam (FFSF 2024)

Tem Fuh, Project Manager, Institute for Security Studies, Kenya (FFSF 2023)

Dagva, Open Society Forum, Mongolia (FFSF 2024)

Margaret Levi, Senior Fellow, CDDRL, USA

Halyna Yanchenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Iaroslav Liubchenko, Head of the Department on Building Integrity in The Defence and Security Sector at the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Ukraine (FFSF 2023)

Nora Sulots, Communications Manager, CDDRL, USA

Cristofer Correia, Voluntad Popular, Venezuela (FFSF 2023)

Stephen Stedman, Senior Fellow, CDDRL, Stanford, USA

Sally Abi Khalll, Oxfam, Lebanon (FFSF 2023)

Ivetta Sergeeva, Postdoctoral Fellow, CDDRL, Russia

Valentin Bolotnyy, Kleinheinz Fellow, Hoover Institution, USA

Gulsanna Mamediieva, Georgetown University, USA (FFSF 2023)

Tamar Khulordava, Former MP, founder of Egeria Solutions, Georgia (FFSF 2023)

Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Director, Ford Dorsey Masters in International Policy, Stanford, USA

Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Director of Social Inclusion at the Organization of American States, USA (DHSF 2021)

Sophie Richardson, Visiting Scholar, CDDRL, Stanford University, USA

Diego Zambrano, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, USA/Venezuela

Beatriz Magaloni, Graham H. Stuart Professor, Political Science and Senior Fellow, FSI, Stanford University, USA and Mexico

Didi Kuo, Center Fellow, CDDRL, USA

Ruben Mascarenhas, National Joint Secretary, Aam Aadmi Party, India (FFSF 2023)

Published originally on Stanford CDDRL website