[2] She was head of the 31st Control Court of Caracas before she was arrested in 2009 on charges of corruption after ordering the conditional release on bail of businessman Eligio Cedeño, who then fled the country.
[3] She was moved to house arrest in Caracas in February 2011, and granted parole in June 2013,[4][5] but she is still barred from practicing law, leaving the country, or using her bank account or social networks.
[8] In July 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that the Venezuelan government had released Afiuni, along with journalist Braulio Jatar and 20 detained students.
[10][11] Judge Afiuni was arrested by intelligence officers after ordering the conditional release[12] of businessman Eligio Cedeño on 10 December 2009 pending his trial for evading currency controls.
In December 2009, three independent human rights experts of the United Nations' (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Judge Afiuni's immediate and unconditional release;[15][28] they said, "Reprisals for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed functions and creating a climate of fear among the judiciary and lawyers' profession serve no purpose except to undermine the rule of law and obstruct justice".
[29] Other groups speaking out against the government's arrest of Judge Afiuni include the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela,[30] Human Rights Watch,[13] the U.S. Department of State,[31] and the Law Society of England and Wales.
"[34] In July 2011, Noam Chomsky—who according to The Observer "Chávez has long considered ... one of his best friends in the west"[35]—published an open letter asking the government of Venezuela for "a humanitarian act that ends the judge's detention".
[35][36] Chomsky stated, "I am convinced that she must be set free, not only due to her physical and psychological health conditions, but in conformance with the human dignity the Bolivarian revolution presents as a goal.
In times of worldwide cries for freedom, the detention of María Lourdes Afiuni stands out as a glaring exception that should be remedied quickly, for the sake of justice and human rights generally and for affirming an honourable role for Venezuela in these struggles.
[8] In July 2019, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that Venezuelan government released Afiuni alongside journalist Braulio Jatar and 20 detained students.