Raúl Isaías Baduel (6 July 1955 – 12 October 2021)[1] was a Venezuelan politician, general, and defense minister under President Hugo Chávez.

[2] Baduel was instrumental in restoring Chávez to power after the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, and was described by the BBC as "one of a small group of officers 'co-governing' Venezuela with Mr Chavez".

[9] According to The New York Times, "Chávez has moved against a wide range of domestic critics, and his efforts in recent weeks to strengthen his grip on the armed forces have led to high-profile arrests and a wave of reassignments".

[14][15][16] Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter expressed concern about the case,[13] and Steve Ellner, a Venezuelan historian and analyst, noted that "courts overwhelmingly targeted opposition figures.

[12] Family members of Baduel have denounced that he was being kept in solitary isolation at an underground facility known as The Tomb (Spanish: La Tumba) from late January 2018.

[21] On 12 October 2021, the Attorney General appointed by the 2017 Constituent National Assembly, Tarek William Saab, reported Baduel's death allegedly due to cardiorespiratory arrest caused by COVID-19.