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Iván Antonio Simonovis Aranguren (born 3 March 1960 in
Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
) is a Venezuelan criminal science expert and security consultant, who served as security chief during the
Llaguno Overpass events The Llaguno Overpass (''Puente Llaguno'' in Spanish), also known as the Llaguno Bridge, is a bridge in central Caracas, Venezuela, near the Miraflores Palace, made infamous by the events of 11 April 2002, when snipers opened fire upon the crowd o ...
of April 2002 in Caracas.


Biography

Coming from a working-class family he started his career as a detective in 1981. He created the first Venezuelan police tactical team (
BAE BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...
– ) in collaboration with other international law enforcement units like the German
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
and various American Police Forces. Simonovis successfully led the rescue operation during the 1998 Cúa hostage crisis to save a woman held hostage by an armed robber. Simonovis later also served as security chief of the Metropolitan District of Caracas. Simonovis invited
New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
chief
William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American businessman and former law enforcement officer who served two non-consecutive tenures as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016) and currently one of ...
to Caracas to help with the criminality.


Arrest

He was arrested in November 2004 and accused by the
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
government of the violence that took place in Caracas during April 2002, under the order of pro-Chávez judge Maikel Moreno. In 2009, he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in the notorious Ramo Verde Prison in the outskirts of Caracas. Due to the severe conditions in which he was held, his health deteriorated. He suffers from advanced
osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in Bone fracture, fracture risk. It is the most common reason f ...
because of sun deprivation for many years. Due to his deteriorating health, he requested humanitarian pardon on several occasions, all denied by the Venezuelan government. Simonovis was considered a political prisoner by human rights advocates. On 16 April 2012, former Supreme Tribunal of Justice judge Eladio Aponte Aponte wrote an
open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
from
San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital city, capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Costa Rican Central Valley, Central Valley, wi ...
, in which he confessed having received orders and being pressured by president
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
to convict Simonovis without rights, as well as Caracas Metropolitan Police officers Henry Vivas and Lázaro Forero, applying the maximum sentence for their participation during the
Llaguno Overpass events The Llaguno Overpass (''Puente Llaguno'' in Spanish), also known as the Llaguno Bridge, is a bridge in central Caracas, Venezuela, near the Miraflores Palace, made infamous by the events of 11 April 2002, when snipers opened fire upon the crowd o ...
. In September 2014, Simonovis was granted house arrest to receive medical treatment.


Release

During the
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis was a political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela between 2019 and 2023, with the nation and the world divided in support for Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó. Venezu ...
, Simonovis escaped house arrest in May.
Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Antonio Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician and opposition figure. He belonged to the social-democratic party Popular Will, and was a federal deputy to the National Assembly representing the state of V ...
, recognized by the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
as the acting president of Venezuela, said that security forces loyal to him released Simonovis. Guaidó claims that the pardon was requested during the events of 30 April and that Simonovis was freed as part of "Operation Freedom" (). The Maduro administration did not comment on Simonovis' whereabouts. In an interview for ''
El Pitazo ''El Pitazo'' is an independent Venezuelan multimedia franchise. The name " pitazo" refers to whistleblowing. It is part of the Latin American media Rebel Alliance, with ''Tal Cual'' and Runrunes. They also collaborate with NGOs to be more info ...
'', lawyer Joel García stated that Simonovis had left the country. According to his wife, Simonovis was threatened with being brought back to prison before he escaped. Simonovis wore an
ankle monitor The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...
and was surveyed by
Bolivarian Intelligence Service The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (, SEBIN) is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. SEBIN is an internal security force subordinate to the Vice President of Venezuela since 2012 and is dependent on Vice President Delcy Rodríg ...
(SEBIN) forces. In June 2019, Simonovis published on Twitter a photo of himself next to the Equestrian of Simón Bolívar in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. During an interview for
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, Simonovis explained how during his escape he had to jump a 25 meters wall, break his ankle monitor, ride a boat whose motor later broke down and piloted a plane to get to United States.
Leopoldo López Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza (born 29 April 1971) is a Venezuelan opposition leader. López was elected mayor of the Chacao Municipality of Caracas in the 2000 Venezuelan regional elections, regional elections held in July 2000. He is the N ...
, opposition leader that also was released on 30 April, contacted US and other foreign government officials to request help, and grant passage and entry to Simonovis. His wife published messages in Germany to divert the authorities. As he arrived in Washington, Simonovis said that he would work with U.S. authorities to investigate cases of corruption, drug trafficking and alleged links to terrorist groups by Venezuelan officials. As of end June, Maduro administration had not released any statement on Simonovis escape.


See also

* Detention of Maria Lourdes Afiuni *
Leopoldo López Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza (born 29 April 1971) is a Venezuelan opposition leader. López was elected mayor of the Chacao Municipality of Caracas in the 2000 Venezuelan regional elections, regional elections held in July 2000. He is the N ...
* Political prisoners in Venezuela


References


External links


Opinion page in ''El Nacional'' newspaper
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonovis Escapees from Venezuelan detention 1960 births Living people Venezuelan escapees Venezuelan police officers People from Caracas Venezuelan exiles Political prisoners during the Bolivarian Revolution