‘Repression in Venezuela is brutal’: new HRW report questions arrest warrant against Edmundo González

In a new report released Wednesday, the American organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) documents the serious human rights violations committed by the Nicolás Maduro regime since the last elections on July 28 against protesters, bystanders, opposition leaders and government critics.

In the report, the organization mentions, among other things, murders, arrests, arbitrary criminal proceedings and harassment carried out by both the country’s authorities and so-called “collectives” affiliated with the government.

They also question the arrest warrant against opposition candidate Edmundo González for “inciting disobedience,” “conspiracy,” and other crimes.

“The repression we are seeing in Venezuela is brutal. The international community must take urgent measures to ensure that Venezuelans can protest peacefully and that their vote is respected,” said Juanita Goebertus, director of HRW’s Americas Division.

The international community must take urgent measures to ensure that Venezuelans can protest peacefully and that their vote is respected.

According to the organization, to date they have received credible reports of at least 25 killings in the context of the protests, many of which have been independently verified.

“Many relatives, witnesses and others who could provide information about the cases did not want to be interviewed for fear of government reprisals. HRW analyzed and verified 39 videos and two photographs of the protests found on various social media platforms. or sent directly to investigators by people close to the victims, organizations and local journalists,” the report says.

HRW says most of the killings occurred on July 29 and 30, when protests were at their height. Eight cases have reportedly occurred in the Capital District, especially in the popular parishes of El Valle and Antímano.

Six of them occurred during the same protest in San Jacinto, Maracay, Aragua state. The remaining cases occurred in the states of Bolívar, Carabobo, Lara, Miranda, Táchira, Yaracuy and Zulia.

HRW says most of the killings occurred on July 29 and 30, when protests reached their peak.

“Credible evidence collected by Human Rights Watch implicates security forces, including the GNB and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB), in several killings,” the report said.

They also mention the arrest of at least 2,400 people and the indictment of hundreds of individuals using crimes which are sometimes broadly defined and carry long-term penalties, such as “incitement to hatred”, “resisting authority” and “terrorism”.

According to the organization, detainees have often been held incommunicado, deprived of contact with their families and lawyers for weeks, and most have been denied the right to be represented by a private lawyer of their choice, even when they or their families explicitly request it.

In addition, judges and prosecutors have presented detainees in virtual hearings, often in groups, posing significant challenges for the impartial administration of justice as it makes it difficult for judges, prosecutors and public defenders to properly assess conditions of detention or present evidence and arguments about individual detainees, HRW says.

“The government has also stepped up its repressive tactics, cancelling passports of government critics to prevent them from leaving the country.calling on citizens to report protesters and carrying out abusive raids, especially in popular sectors. It is imperative to support efforts to ensure accountability for the serious human rights violations committed in Venezuela,” the report says.

HRW believes it is vital to renew the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM) during the next session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, support the ongoing investigation by the ICC Prosecutor’s Office, and consider “the imposition of individual sanctions on those responsible for serious human rights violations.”

HRW’s recommendations on Venezuela

The document, obtained by this newspaper, also includes a series of recommendations.

Among them that governments continue to make public and private calls to Nicolás Maduro to end human rights violationsincluding the repression of protesters, publish the minutes of the vote counts of each polling station, allow for independent verification of the election results and respect the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the polls on July 28.

Also, explore multilateral and human rights-respecting mechanisms to encourage Maduro’s international allies, including Cuba, and oil companies operating in Venezuela to ask Maduro to publish the voting records and allow for an independent verification process.

HRW also suggests that individual sanctions be imposed on members of the security forces, “collectives,” judges and prosecutors responsible for serious human rights violations.

Likewise, expand access to refuge and other forms of international protection, in accordance with international standards, for Venezuelans who are forced to leave their country.

SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI

Correspondent for EL TIEMPO

Washington