A Utah man is being held as a prisoner in Venezuela and accused of plotting to attack the Venezuelan government.
24-year-old Josh Holt traveled to Venezuela on a legal visa in June of this year to marry his sweetheart. The couple had interacted online and took vacations together, but had not yet been able to get married. What was supposed to be a long-awaited, wonderful start to their marriage, has turned into a nightmare.
On June 30th, after being there for a few weeks waiting for his wife's visa, Josh was followed by police and demanded that they pay them $10,000 to leave him alone. When he could not give them the money, he was arrested under suspicion of conspiring against the Venezuelan government. The police claimed that Josh was an American terrorist that had assault rifles, grenades, computers and cameras in his possession.
Holts wife, Thamy, a mother of two young girls, is accused of being an accomplice and is also being held prisoner.
According to Josh's mom, Lori, "He had two strikes against him. He’s American and Mormon, and the police hate both."
Josh's imprisonment could not come at a worse time. The relationship between the U.S and Venezuela isn't good, and police are always looking for Americans to frame and imprison as political statements. According to the U.S State Department, Venezuela has one of the world's highest crime rates. Violent crime - including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking - is endemic throughout the country."
“We won’t permit the dark interests of capitalism, backed by the criminal gangs, to suffocate the stability and peace of the country.” said Venezuela's interior minister, Gustavo González López, in a televised address regarding Josh.
“The only reason they have him is because he’s a gringo,” said an anonymous witness that spoke to the Miami Herald. “I don’t care what color his eyes are, what color his hair is, where his passport says he’s from — he’s innocent and his human rights are being violated.”
Josh is being held in a small jail cell that has, "a twin sized bed with two windows about 12 feet above the ground."
To make things worse, Josh has been dealing with physical ailments as well. In one of his letters he wrote, "I have had one sickness after another – kidney stones, bronchitis and now have something that makes me itch like I have never itched before. I had times where I could barely breathe. The judge approved not one time, but twice for me to go to the hospital, however, I have never left the jail."
In his letters he also shows deep worry for his new wife, expressing that he just wants her to be able to be released from prison to be with her daughters.
Despite all of the things he is going through, Holt says he has found moments of peace and comfort while reading verses of the Book of Mormon.
Josh's next hearing is scheduled for September 15th and his family is asking for prayers on Joshua's behalf. The family has also started a Go Fund Me page to help with lawyer expenses as well as a Facebook page for updates. His family wants to draw more attention to Josh's story in hopes that government officials can eventually find out about it and help in any way possible.
