Meet Víctor Navarro, a Venezuelan journalist, former political prisoner, and a 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker.
In 2018, as a 22-year-old, Navarro was arbitrarily detained by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service and held in El Helicoide, Venezuela’s largest and most notorious torture center. He has described the atrocious treatment and torture he endured there, being forced to defecate in food trays and having a loaded gun placed in his mouth. After his release in 2019, he left for Argentina, where he now lives in exile.
Despite his abhorrent treatment, Navarro has dedicated his life to seeking justice for those who have suffered torture and abuse under the regime of Nicolas Maduro. He’s the executive director of Voces de la Memoria, an NGO at the intersection of technology and human rights. Most recently, Voces de la Memoria created a virtual reality experience, Helicoide, which, through the testimonies of victims, recreates the torturous experience of an El Helicoide prisoner.
“Maduro is a torture and so are those in his inner circle,” Navarro said. “There are hundreds of thousands in Venezuela who are seeking justice. We can’t falter in our struggle for freedom and democracy. If we want freedom and democracy, there needs to be justice.
Navarro and other changemakers will be sharing their stories on the Oslo Konserthus stage this June for the 15th annual Oslo Freedom Forum.