Carlos Andrés García (politician)

Carlos Andrés García (c. 1973 – 17 September 2017) was a Venezuelan politician who served as councilor of Guasdualito, Apure, and who died while incarcerated by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN).

In August 2017, García suffered a stroke while he was being held in SEBIN prison. Security officials reportedly systematically refused to give medical attention to García and ignored the orders to allow the councilor to move to a hospital center. Family members reported that the officials did not deliver him the medicines that he had to take by prescription that they had sent him. His sister Yhorlenys Aular also complained that the officials claimed that García was only "pretending" to be ill and that they did not provide him first aid.

Up until 17 August, SEBIN was reported to have refused to transfer him to a healthcare center. However, the following day, he was transferred to the Central Hospital of San Cristóbal, Táchira. Justice First affirmed that García "was only transferred to a health center when there was no possibility of doing anything to improve his health". On 17 September 2017, the councilor's family confirmed his death at the health center. Despite being considered a political prisoner and having received the benefit of house arrest as Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma, the order was not executed by the security forces. The government refused to allow an autopsy of the body.

On 17 December 2016, the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) raided the house of Councilman García and arrested him after several protests were registered in Guasdualito that resulted in at least three bank entities looted and one injured and during negotiations between the opposition and the government. The opposition deputy for the Apure state, Luis Lippa, was also detained "to protect him", violating his parliamentary immunity, being released shortly afterwards. The councilman was arrested allegedly in possession of a sum of money in cash, but the Justice First party assured that the security forces planted a package of bills that supposedly at that time was no longer valid. The authorities considered that the sum of money was suspicious, but Garcia assured that it was a set-up and declared innocence. García remained in custody accused of the crimes of theft, public incitement and arson, without a trial being instituted against him. Justice First also denounced that despite demanding García's release for health reasons, the government "refused and he left him unjustly detained."