26 Facts About Juan Requesens

Juan Requesens Martinez is a deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly, elected in 2015 and sworn in on 5 January 2016.

Juan Requesens was a student leader at the Central University of Venezuela, and a leader of student opposition protesters during the 2014 Venezuelan protests.

Juan Requesens was released in October 2023 in a deal between the Venezelan government and the United States after the latter nation agreed to ease sanctions on Venezuela.

In 2011, Juan Requesens was elected the student president of the Central University of Venezuela, where he began his political endeavors, studying political science.

Juan Requesens began demonstrations against the Venezuelan government in January 2013 when he helped organize a joint protest of students from UCV and Andres Bello Catholic University.

Juan Requesens was still the president in 2014, becoming a leader for the mass protests that year, and facing threats after another student leader at the Universidad Nacional Experimental del Tachira was killed.

Juan Requesens said in 2014 that his political idol was former Venezuelan president Romulo Betancourt, who is known as the "father of Venezuelan democracy".

Juan Requesens frequently used technology to organize people; the 12,000 Twitter followers he had at the beginning of 2014 had increased to 450,000 by March, and he was able to assemble protests against the government from his cellphone.

The main demands of Juan Requesens' movement were for the release of protesters who had been jailed and justice for protesters killed and allegedly tortured.

Juan Requesens was asked to attend meetings with President Maduro, but refused because of the human rights abuses; he then requested that if a meeting were to be held with Maduro, that it would be broadcast live on television.

The Washington Post said that Juan Requesens "insist[ed] that Maduro free jailed protesters and meet other preconditions" before he would meet with him.

Juan Requesens believed then that asking for Maduro's removal as president was a "dead end" and said that the "strategy of escalating confrontation will just give the government the chance to discredit us and continue with more repression".

Juan Requesens was assigned to the National Assembly Commission for Social Development and Integration.

Juan Requesens attempted to run for Governor of Tachira, the state for which he was already a deputy, in 2017.

In early 2018, Juan Requesens was part of the faction of the Assembly that formed a coalition called the Frente Amplio Venezuela Libre to ask for free elections in the country, and for Maduro to leave, saying that the opposition and country has to move forward civilly.

In May 2018, Juan Requesens was one of the politicians to step in when press personnel were being attacked by guards outside the parliamentary buildings, fighting with the soldiers; the same day, Juan Requesens and Carlos Paparoni were attacked and held down when trying to come to the defense of journalists outside the Supreme Court.

Juan Requesens rejoined street protests the next day, rejecting elections due later in the week.

Juan Requesens was back on the street in 2017, now as an elected deputy.

Juan Requesens was hit in the head and received deep cuts on his face.

On 7 August 2018, Juan Requesens had given a speech in Venezuela's National Assembly blaming Maduro for causing unrest in the nation.

Juan Requesens was arrested that day by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service.

Juan Requesens was detained as a suspect in the Caracas drone attack, an alleged assassination plot on the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Juan Requesens was sentenced to 8 years in prison in August 2022.

In 2022, Juan Requesens was sentenced to eight years in prison for his alleged role in the Caracas drone attack.

Juan Requesens' father is a doctor, his mother is an English teacher, and his sister, Rafaela Juan Requesens, is an activist.

Juan Requesens is married to Orianna Granati, and they have two young children.