A turning point was marked in the defense of human rights in Venezuela on July 28, just after the last presidential election in Venezuela.
lapatilla.com
The resounding denunciation of “electoral fraud” unleashed a persecution by the regime that had consequences for countless citizens considered innocent because their only crime, according to family members, friends and defenders, was participating in the process as a voter or having been selected by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and answering the mandatory call to serve as a polling station member or witness nominated by one of the political organizations opposed to Chavismo. There were even detainees for celebrating what was in plain sight: the resounding victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate.
Some of the most common accusations against the political prisoners throughout the country are for the crimes of: terrorism, incitement to hatred; vandalism; obstruction of public roads. Their hearings were held online, most of them at night and very early in the morning, without allowing the defendants the right to a private defense, though in many cases the lawyers who were available belong to human rights organizations.
On November 8th, the Penal Forum updated the list of political prisoners in Venezuela, which was sent to the Organization of American States (OAS), Human Rights in South America part of the United Nations Organization (UN), where the report specifies that since July 29th, 2024, 1,836 citizens have been detained and accused of post-election violence, and some 127 people are accused of other crimes, but all are related to politics.
In its report, the NGO Penal Forum states: “We have registered and classified the largest number of prisoners for political motives known in Venezuela, at least in the 21st century.” According to the registry of this NGO, those arrested in the post-electoral context were 1,720 men and 243 women. Of the total number of detainees, 1,801 are civilians and 162 military personnel, 1,894 adults and 69 adolescents.
On October 28th, the NGO Access to Justice reported that “the UN mission denounced that organizations such as Penal Forum, Public Space or Fundehullan (Human Rights Foundation of Los Llanos) have been directly prevented from taking on the representation of some of the detainees, regardless of whether they have been authorized by their relatives.
Apart from this irregularity, there has been persecution, threats, intimidation and they have been forced to delete published material to maintain their freedom.
On November 20th, Oscar Murillo, journalist and General Coordinator of Provea, was summoned to appear on Wednesday, November 20th, before the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC) in Caracas, to supposedly further an alleged investigation carried out by this security agency in San Cristóbal, Táchira State, for the alleged “commission of a crime contemplated in the Law against Hatred, Peaceful Coexistence and Tolerance,” reported NTN24.
A day earlier, regarding this summons and the persecution of NGO defenders, the president elected by Venezuelans on July 28th, Edmundo González Urrutia, expressed his opinion through his social network account in X: “Defending rights is not a crime.”
Defenders speak
lapatilla.com consulted several spokespersons of Venezuelan HR organizations about the implications and risks that these defenders bear doing their job, obtaining from of the Human Rights Foundation of Los Llanos (Fundehullan), impressions on what they intend to do, if continue with their work or if their intention was to give up.
After the presidential election on July 28th of this year, in Fundehullan they have seen that the work of defending human rights in Venezuela “has been restricted and hindered by the Venezuelan authorities. The work of promoting and defending human rights is being criminalized.”
One of the biggest questions regarding the actions of the police and investigative bodies is to know if the freedom and integrity of the defenders are really compromised, to which the spokesperson of Fundehullan expressed: “Certainly the integrity of the defenders is increasingly compromised and there is a clear increase in the reduction of the civic and democratic space in the country.”
Given what happened to the Provea coordinator, it is undeniable that there have been recent cases of persecution, but there were other cases in the previous months, which passed without much relevance, regarding the harassment of HR defenders by police officers. In this regard, Fundehullan revealed that “during the month of August, member lawyers of the organization were threatened by security forces to stop advising the relatives of the detained victims. “Otherwise, we could be the target for an arrest.”
The pressure exerted by the police forces has had its effect on those close to the NGOs, complicating the exercise of the defense of human rights in Venezuela, as has happened in Fundehullan, which has even seen its activities restricted.
“Many lawyers and defenders who provide legal and litigation support have refrained from supporting Fundehullan for fear of reprisals from state authorities.”
Despite everything, contact with the relatives of political prisoners in the post-electoral context has continued: “We have maintained good relations of technical legal advice, but as is public knowledge, the detained persons have not been allowed to swear in their own private defense at any stage of the process.”
Continuing with the defense work is the objective of Fundehullan. “We believe that we must continue to demand from the Venezuelan authorities the full freedom of people deprived of liberty, above all remembering that in article 43 of the Bolivarian Constitution of Venezuela, the health and life of people deprived of liberty is the responsibility of the State.”
Overview after July 28
The situation of human rights defenders and political prisoners in Venezuela continues to be critical and is characterized by a climate of harassment, criminalization and repression.
The events that occurred after July 28th, 2024 have aggravated this situation, evidencing a worsening of human rights violations.
Since the fraudulent proclaimed results of the presidential election, there has been an increase in arbitrary arrests, illegal raids and flawed judicial proceedings against activists, opposition leaders and citizens who exercise their right to peaceful protest.
These actions seek to silence those who denounce human rights violations and limit civic space.
Profile of the new political prisoners
The people imprisoned after July 28th, have a diverse profile:
– Young protesters: Many of them participated in peaceful protests and were arbitrarily detained.
– Student leaders: University students who have been leaders in the demonstrations and have organized protests.
– Journalists and social communicators: Those who have reported on the protests and the political situation in the country.
– Human rights defenders: Activists who work in the defense of human rights and have denounced violations committed by the government.
Conditions of detention
Political prisoners in Venezuela face inhuman and degrading conditions of detention, including:
– Isolation: Many prisoners are subjected to prolonged isolation, which affects their mental and physical health.
– Torture and ill-treatment: There are reports of torture and ill-treatment during detention and in penitentiary centers.
– Limited access to medical care: Political prisoners do not receive adequate medical care, which puts their lives at risk.
– Denial of the right to defense: In many cases, political prisoners do not have access to lawyers and their procedural rights are violated.
Impact on civil society
The persecution of human rights defenders and political prisoners has a negative impact on all Venezuelan civil society.
It creates a climate of fear and self-censorship, limiting citizen participation and weakening civil society organizations.
The international community is obliged to exert pressure on the Venezuelan government to cease the persecution of human rights defenders and political prisoners, and to guarantee respect for human rights.
It is essential that international mechanisms be established to monitor and verify the situation in Venezuela, as well as the implementation of selective sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations.
Demands and recommendations
– Immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.
– Implementation of protection mechanisms for human rights defenders.
– Independent and transparent investigation of all allegations of human rights violations.
– Guarantee access to justice for all victims.
– Strengthen international cooperation to support Venezuelan civil society.
The situation of human rights defenders and political prisoners in Venezuela is a humanitarian crisis that requires an urgent and coordinated response from the international community.