Ever since the Donald Trump administration began blowing up narco-boats in the Caribbean Sea in September, we’ve heard a lot of cries about how these men are just humble fishermen trying to earn a living, despite the fact that intelligence, photos, and even their own families prove otherwise. Colombia’s clown-in-chief, Gustavo Petro, seemingly live-tweets this as each strike happens, while Nicolás Maduro’s state TV cries about imperialism every day.
Both Petro and Maduro maintain they have no ties to trafficking and are actually trying to clean up the drug trade. Sure, Jan. Even the U.S. media comes to their defense, like when the Associated Press tried to make us feel bad for the guys being blown up a couple of weeks ago, despite admitting that they were, indeed, running drugs.
Well, as it turns out, poor humble fishermen are being killed, but not at the hands of the United States.
Jonathan Rodríguez lived a quiet life in the town of Cepe in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. He enjoyed hiking and spending time in the sea, and despite a childhood autism diagnosis, he managed to earn a living as a fisherman in his community. By all accounts, he never bothered anyone, and he had no real political leanings.
But on July 29, 2024, he went into town to run some errands, and he stopped by a bakery on his way back home. That’s when what should have been an everyday activity turned into a nightmare for the young man. The date is significant. Venezuela had just held its presidential elections the day before — all records indicated that Edmundo González won in a landslide, but even so, Maduro declared himself the winner on the 29th. The country, tired of the tyrant, took to the streets to protest, but the regime cracked down immediately, arbitrarily arresting anyone they could get their hands on and holding them as political prisoners.
Unfortunately, Jonathan, who was simply trying to buy some food, was one of those people. The paramilitary arrested him, charged him with “terrorism,” and eventually put him in the country’s Tocorón mega-prison. That’s the one where Tren de Aragua originated, and I’ve heard it makes El Salvador’s CECOT look like a spa. There is no medical care. Prisoners are malnourished. Disease spreads like wildfire. Venezuela opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado has called the prison a “center of torture.”
While in custody, Jonathan developed a lung infection, but his pleas for help were ignored. The fact that he was severely malnourished after months in prison with little to eat, combined with the unhealthy conditions in Tocorón, made recovery impossible.
Earlier this year, the regime released him to his family. They spent every penny they had trying to help him with medical tests and medications, but his condition had deteriorated to the point of no return. Earlier this month, he was admitted to the hospital, where he spent about a week in critical condition. He died on Friday at the age of 30.
Human rights groups have made it clear that the Maduro regime murdered this young fisherman who was just out trying to buy some bread. Just like the woman I wrote about last week, Marggie Orozco, a 65-year-old doctor and heart patient whose health is also deteriorating, was recently sentenced to 30 years in jail for simply telling her neighbors to vote against Maduro because their community was running out of food and medicine. Just like the thousands of other people who the regime disappeared or jailed illegally in the days following the 2024 election.
Funny how you don’t hear Petro or the Associated Press crying for any of them.
Related: This Is What Dictatorship Looks Like: The Story of Marggie Orozco
Here’s a picture of Jonathan that Machado re-posted on X on Sunday. I’ll drop the translation of her caption below.
Jonathan Rodríguez era un joven de 30 años, pescador del estado Aragua. El 29 de julio de 2024 fue injustamente detenido y estuvo más de 6 meses encarcelado en Tocorón.
Durante su prisión, contrajo una infección pulmonar que se agravó por la desnutrición provocada por las… https://t.co/LnKwN4B97r
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) November 23, 2025
English translation of the Spanish caption: Jonathan Rodríguez was a 30-year-old young man, a fisherman from the state of Aragua. On July 29, 2024, he was unjustly detained and spent more than 6 months imprisoned in Tocorón. During his imprisonment, he contracted a lung infection that worsened due to the malnutrition caused by the inhumane conditions to which the regime subjects political prisoners in this prison, which has been turned into a center of torture. Despite the fact that his family exhausted all their economic resources on tests and medications, his health continued to deteriorate irreversibly. Unfortunately, after spending a week hospitalized in critical condition, Jonathan passed away on November 21, 2025. With deep sorrow, I send my prayers and strength to his family and friends. In Venezuela, there will be justice, and acts as cruel as this one, which the Rodríguez family suffers today, will never be repeated. May God bless Jonathan and all Venezuelans who are victims of this tyranny. 🙏
May God bless Jonathan indeed.
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