Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera is the former director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and former

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

of the Venezuelan army. He is known for being a main conspirator during the failed 2019 Venezuelan uprising.

Early life

Christopher Figuera was born on 8 November 1963 in

Punta de Mata Punta de Mata is the municipal capital of the municipality of Ezequiel Zamora in the state of Monagas in Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a ...

Monagas ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Monagas'' , image_map = Monagas in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_m ...

, Venezuela. He graduated from the

Military Academy of Venezuela The Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army (in Spanish ''Academia Militar del Ejército Bolivariano''), historically known as the Military Academy of Venezuela, is an academy to train members of the officer corps of the National Army of the Boli ...

in 1989 with a military sciences and arts degree. He would later earn a master's degree in strategic management degree from the

Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez is a university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer ...

in 2007, a master's in military sciences and arts and a doctorate in security of the nation from the

Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela The Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela (in Spanish ''Universidad Militar Bolivariana de Venezuela''. The Military Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UMBV), is a National Experimental University of Venezuela, which operates under the mil ...

Career

Chávez government

Under Chávez, Christopher Figuera served as an aide for over twelve years. He became the deputy director of the Directorate General of Military Intelligence in 2007.

Maduro government

In July 2017, he was appointed director of the Strategic Center for Security and Protection of the Fatherland (CESSPA) by President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and president of Venezuela since 2013, with his presidency under dispute since 2019. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade unio ...

. Following incidents that occurred under Gustavo González López's leadership while director of SEBIN, Christopher Figuera was named his replacement on 30 October 2018.

2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt

During the 2019 Venezuelan uprising, Christopher Figuera was a main conspirator who attempted to persuade Maduro to resign his claim of Venezuela's presidency. Cristopher Figuera fled to the US after the events. In an interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

,'' he gave declarations on illicit gold deals by the Maduro administration, on

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

cells in Venezuela and on the extent of Cuban influence in the military.

Sanctions

Officials of Maduro's security and intelligence were sanctioned by the US (February 2019) and Canada (April 2019) for helping suppress democracy, the list included Cristopher Figuera. The US Treasury Department says the security officials are responsible for torture, human rights abuses, and extrajudicial killings. Following the 30 April 2019 uprising, the governments of the US (May 2019) and Canada (June 2019) removed sanctions against Cristopher Figuera. The US Treasury Department press release said the action demonstrated that "removal of sanctions may be available for designated persons who take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order, refuse to take part in human rights abuses, speak out against abuses committed by the illegitimate Maduro regime, or combat corruption in Venezuela".

References

Living people People of the Crisis in Venezuela Venezuelan soldiers Venezuelan defectors 1963 births {{Crisis in Venezuela, state=collapsed