We finished this great case that was strong for everyone just reading.

He was charged with frustrated homicide, sexual violence, unlawful deprivation of liberty and aggravated injury. He was only blamed on the last two counts, so he was given 6 years and 1 month in prison. In 2007, he was released fully.

In December 2007, Linda Loaiza, along with her family and lawyers, took her case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to initiate a trial against the Venezuelan State and Judiciary, for her inability to give her the necessary guarantees of a fair trial.

In 2015, she was able to present her arguments before this commission so that the case in turn could be taken to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, thus becoming the first case of gender-based violence brought by a Venezuelan woman to the IACHR.


In 2016, after Linda presented her case to the IACHR, the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice decided to reopen the case and annul the sentence that acquitted Carrera of the rape charge. However, she said she did not believe in Venezuelan institutions and that she would continue her complaint to the International Court.

For the month of February 2018, the trial of Linda Loaiza against the Venezuelan State began in the Inter-American Court.


During the trial Linda, who is now a lawyer, had to relive everything that happened to her in 2001. In her statement, she reaffirmed many of the tortures she suffered; among them, she recalled how Carrera placed her on her knees, on top of soda plates and while she beat brutally.

After 17 years of the event, Linda was visibly affected when she reported that her sister went at least 6 times to the police to report her disappearance and that on one occasion she gave the name Luis Carrera Almoina.


Followed by this, an official alerted the aggressor to the complaint and he took revenge on Linda for what Ana Secilia had done, and gave her the biggest beating in all that time.

The man forced her to call her sister to tell her to stop reporting, that she was fine and every time her sister went to the police he gave her very hard blows.


Before the judges of the Inter-American Court, he recounted how the evidence collected in Luis Carrera's apartment disappeared from one moment to the next; he also said that there were photos of other women being tortured and gagged, women who never appeared again.

Linda exposed the reliability of the Venezuelan Judiciary and the level of corruption through influence in Venezuela, since she assured that during her captivity the aggressor told her that “she was not going to be able to do anything”, since he was a friend of the Vice President of the Republic at that time (2001). He also said that Luis Carrera's family had influences on public power, since his father was a rector of a well-known university and his uncle was president of a political party adept at the government.

In her complaint, Linda asked the Venezuelan State to publish disaggregated data on gender-based violence in Venezuela and to “repair” the damage to her and her family, since during all these years they have been threatened.


Finally, on November 16, 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in the case and held the State responsible for “the negligent and insufficient reaction of the officials in charge”. It also ordered the judiciary to resume the investigation and punish the perpetrator and his accomplices on charges of torture, sexual abuse and frustrated homicide.

She must also guarantee the safety of Linda Loaiza López and her family, as well as award compensation of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victim, her family, her lawyers and the different organizations that supported her legally and financially in the process.


Linda Loaiza, who is now 37 years old, left her veterinary studies to later graduate as a lawyer. Today she is a human rights activist and fights for the rights of Venezuelan women who suffer gender-based violence.

Linda Loaiza's example of perseverance has inspired many women who every day fight against machismo, stereotypes and gender-based violence; as well as for the fundamental rights of all women.

Photo of Linda Loaiza before the event and after escaping:


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The Case of Linda Loaiza/Part 4 (Final)