Rosmit Mantilla
| Rosmit Mantilla | |
|---|---|
| Alternate Deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela | |
|
Assumed office 5 January 2016 | |
| Constituency | Táchira |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
13 December 1982 Petare, Miranda, Venezuela |
| Political party | Popular Will |
| Occupation | Activist |
Rosmit Mantilla (born 13 December 1982) is a Venezuelan politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Venezuela in the Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2015.[1] He is noted as the first openly gay politician ever elected to the National Assembly.[1]
He is a member of the Voluntad Popular party.
An LGBT rights activist, Mantilla was arrested on May[2] during the 2014–15 Venezuelan protests against the government of Nicolás Maduro.[3] He was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, which lobbied for his release.[1] Along with Renzo Prieto and Gilberto Sojo, he was one of three people elected to the National Assembly in the 2015 election who were still in jail on election day due to charges stemming from the 2014 protests.
On November 11, it was reported that he was transferred to the Military Hospital because of a delicate health condition.[4] A few months earlier it had been reported he had gallstones and was very ill.[5] On November 15, his mother, Ingrid Flores, reported he had been transferred once again but this time to the Urólogico San Román to treat a stomach infection that was affecting his pancreas.[6] On November 17, he was finally released after two and a half years in prison.[2] In an interview with the digital site Panorama he said he would takes a few days off to be with his family and was quoted as saying, "I am filled with hope and my commitment with Venezuela is stronger than ever. I will continue to fight for human rights and to achieve freedom for Venezuela and other prisoners of conscience. This is why I want to thank those that helped me be here today".[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Amnistía Internacional declara preso de conciencia a Rosmit Mantilla, diputado y activista gay". El Mundo, December 13, 2015.
- 1 2 "Venezuelan opposition leader freed after over 2 years in prison". Fox News Latino. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ↑ "Elected congressmen fight to get out of jail in Venezuela". Fusion, December 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Diputado Rosmit Mantilla fue llevado al Hospital Militar". Analitica.com (in Spanish). 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ↑ "Venezuela: Authorities deny medical care to severely ill imprisoned opposition leader". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ↑ "Rosmit Montilla se recupera en el Urológico San Román". www.el-nacional.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
- ↑ "Rosmit Montilla: Mi compromiso con Venezuela está más fuerte que nunca". Panorama. Retrieved 2016-11-19.