Génesis Carmona

Génesis Carmona (20 September 1991 – 19 February 2014) was a Venezuelan fashion model, beauty queen, and college student who was killed while protesting against the Government of Venezuela during the 2014 Venezuelan protests. She later became a symbol of protest against the Nicolás Maduro government during the time of demonstrations in the country.

Career

Born and educated in Carabobo, Carmona majored in Social Studies at Universidad Tecnológica del Centro, a local polytechnic located in Valencia's eastern satellite Alianza City, in the metropolitan capital region of the state of Carabobo in Venezuela. She had participated in fashion week activities held in the city of Valencia, an annual event known as Venezuela Moda. In 2013, as a 21-year-old, she entered a regional beauty contest for her native state of Carabobo, winning one of the titles and becoming crowned 2013 Miss Turismo Carabobo.

Death

A memorial for a few of those killed during the 2014 Venezuelan protests, with Carmona among those pictured.

On 18 February 2014, Carmona participated in an anti-government demonstration. During the protest, clashes occurred between pro-government and anti-government individuals on Cedeño Avenue, which resulted in several protesters injured, 8 of those injured from gunshot wounds, including Carmona, who suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Witnesses described that she sunk to the ground after a bullet penetrated her left occipital skull area. Carmona, who was still conscious but unresponsive, was transported to the Guerra Méndez Clinic by a motorcyclist and her friend Gabriel Cegarra, who held her while riding on the back of the motorcycle. She was then placed in the ICU, where she died from "significant" brain damage due to gunshot trauma and loss of blood the following day.

Response Media and family response

In an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC, Carmona's friend and fellow protester Héctor Rotunda said Carmona was shot when a group of about 50 individuals outfitted in red (and thus believed to be government supporters) approached the demonstration and fired a burst of about 10 rounds at protesters. Mourners at Carmona's funeral stated she was "killed by government mercenaries." Some foreign news sources said that pro-government paramilitaries were the ones who shot and killed her. Carmona's mother has also stated that the attackers were clearly identifiable in videos as Venezuelan government supporters and that Venezuelan authorities did "nothing" to clarify Carmona's death, only placing on PSUV member on parole.

Some have blamed Francisco Ameliach for Carmona's death. Days before Carmona was killed, the governor of the state of Carabobo, Francisco Ameliach, called on Unidades de Batalla Bolívar-Chávez (Battle Units Hugo Chavez, UBCh), in a tweet, asking UBCh to launch a rapid counterattack against protesters saying that the order would come from the President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello.

 After Carmona's death, Venezuela's anti-government protesters placed posters in various areas of Valencia, condemning Ameliach's tweet and linked it to the killing of Carmona.

Venezuelan government's response

The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, expressed his condolences to Carmona's family and to the people who loved her. He also said that it had been "well-established" by the government's CIPC ballistic research and witnesses that violent groups from the opposition were responsible for her death. Minister of the Interior, Miguel Rodríguez Torres, reported that the bullet that killed her came from her own ranks during the anti-government march.

Eponyms

Mayor Alejandro Feo La Cruz paid tribute to those who had died during protests in Carabobo, naming an avenue "Genesis Carmona Avenue" and named a park after another protester, Geraldin Moreno.