Several non-governmental organizations and opposition political parties in Venezuela denounced early this Sunday that the activist and human rights defender Rocío San Miguelpresident of the NGO Citizen Control, was arrested last Friday and, since then, His family does not know his whereabouts.
(Also: Video: María Corina Machado was attacked and evacuated from a campaign event).
According to complaints on the social network Take a flight with your daughter.
The NGO Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness (JEP) “strongly” rejected the arrest of the president of Control Ciudadano, a “prominent expert on security and defense issues” who “must be released immediately.”
“Those close to the activist report that they do not know her whereabouts more than 24 hours after the arrest. We remember that defending human rights and exercising free expression and the right to information They are not crimes and they are enshrined in the Constitution and in international agreements,” said JEP in X.
On this social network, the NGO Provea also demanded his “immediate freedom” and denounced that “this new abuse is part of the painful practice of persecution.” against those who defend and exercise rights”.
They report on the alleged arrest of the activist and defender of #DDHH Rocío San Miguel at the Maiquetía international airport
This information has been circulating for several hours, generating deep concern.
We wish to know the whereabouts of San Miguel
— PROVEA (@_Provea) February 11, 2024
In this sense, he assured that San Miguel “has been a victim of harassment, persecution and discrimination by the Venezuelan State”, and that his arrest “constitutes a very serious fact that highlights the progressive closure of civic space and the efforts of those who they govern by rsuppress critical voices”.
In the opinion of the Justice and Peace Center (Cepaz), this detention “is part of the application of the pattern of criminalization, attacks and threats against human rights defenders and civil society in general”, which “is exacerbated in the electoral contexts”, in reference to this year's presidential elections.
Amnesty International, for its part, called for his “immediate and unconditional freedom.”
Tarek William Saab, Attorney General of Venezuela.
Courtesy of the Public Ministry
This event occurs almost three weeks after the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, reported the arrest of more than thirty people for allegedly being involved in conspiratorial plans, and that the authorities arrested three collaborators of the presidential candidate of the main opposition coalition, María Corina Machado, accused of being part of a conspiracy.
Last December, more than 60 NGOs asked the UN to monitor the “situation of democratic freedoms and human rights” in the country and to “pronounce in a timely manner” on this matter in view of the upcoming electoral periods, including the presidential one, for when they foresee an increase in “repression and persecution.”
The Venezuelan prosecutor's office has not yet commented on the case.
The retention of San Miguel occurs in a context of the Venezuelan government's announcement that it has neutralized five assassination “conspiracies”, in which the Venezuelan justice system points to the military, journalists and activists.
One of them, called “White Bracelet”, in which San Miguel is supposedly involved, consisted of the attack on a military base in Táchira, on the border with Colombia, to take weapons and assassinate Chavismo leaders.
Maduro, who must seek re-election this year, frequently denounces plans to overthrow and assassinate him.
Maduro shows the Barbados agreement and assures it has been fulfilled.
EFE/MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ
San Miguel won a case against Venezuela in 2018 before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IAC Court) for the violation of political and expression rights, after his dismissal from a public entity for supporting in 2003 the call for a recall referendum against the then president Hugo Chávez (1999-2013).
According to the NGO Foro Penal, Venezuela has 261 “political prisoners”, including 18 women and 146 soldiers.
Last October, the government and the opposition signed a political agreement ahead of the presidential elections, which led to the release of 10 Americans and another 24 Venezuelans who were imprisoned in Venezuela for political reasons, in exchange for Alex Saab, accused of being Maduro's front man. and who was detained in the United States on accusations of money laundering.
Opposition leaders condemn the arrest
Through X, the candidate of the main opposition coalition for this year's presidential elections, María Corina Machado, denounced that The “repressive onslaught of the Maduro regime continues” with the arrest of San Miguel, for which he asked for “national and international solidarity with her and with all political prisoners and persecuted people” in the South American country..
The two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles condemned the arrest and assured that, “once again, power continues the dynamics of terror, persecution, criminalization and arbitrariness to neutralize those who think differently.”
We alert the world that the repressive onslaught of the Maduro regime continues. Rocío San Miguel, human rights defender and president of the organization Citizen Control, was arrested.
We call for national and international solidarity with her and with all prisoners and… https://t.co/FUhANaqxWT
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) February 11, 2024
“This action is a new violation of the Constitution, due process, human rights and integrity. There is no justification for disappearing someone and keeping them incommunicado without access to their lawyers,” the former governor also said in X.
Former deputy Delsa Solórzano denounced that It is a “forced disappearance”, something that “occurs frequently in Venezuela” and “constitutes a serious violation of due process, the right to defense” and “human rights.”.
“We demand an immediate response and attention to the case from the international organizations for the protection and defense of human rights that are in Venezuela. Enough of the silence!” he expressed.
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
*With information from EFE and AFP
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