Venezuela: What the ‘2024 Black Dictatorship Report’ reveals, a document presented anonymously by several NGOs

Although the Venezuelan government denies any human rights abuses or violations following the repression unleashed since July 28 by the regime against protesters demanding recognition of Edmundo González’s victory over Nicolás Maduro, international organizations such as the United Nations and non-governmental organizations denounce the excesses that have already left more than 2,500 people detained, including children, and at least 27 people dead.

Added to this was the fact that several NGOs presented the Black Report of the dictatorship in Venezuela 2024in allusion to a similar document published in 1952 to denounce the excesses of the military regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, whose government was overthrown in 1958.

Anonymously, due to fear of persecutionIn their report, human rights defenders collected pre- and post-election events that included violations of multiple human rights. “This report is a continuation of those yearnings for democracy and dignity,” the authors stated.

The more than 100-page document concludes that The actions of the authorities confirm that the crime of politically motivated persecution, a crime against humanity included in the Rome Statute, continues to be committed in Venezuela.

Also, the coordinated action of the different institutions of public power, aimed at promoting widespread fear as a mechanism of control and coercion, should be classified as “State terrorism.”

For researchers, there is an erosion of democratic institutions which has repealed, in practice, 21.7 of the articles of the Constitution, especially those linked to fundamental rights, “which is why a regime of exception has been established in the country in practice.”

Key dates and figures presented in the report

Before July 28, during the first months of the year, 25 people were arrested for reporting, 58 websites and portals had been blocked (in addition to the fact that portals such as EL TIEMPO have been blocked for years) and 98 complaints about violations of freedom of expression had been processed.

During the first half of the year, 2,383 protests were recorded. In July, there were 1,311 demonstrations, of which 90 percent were for the demand for civil and political rights.

During the first seven months, 169 people were arbitrarily detained for political reasons, “one of the cases being that of human rights defender Rocío San Miguel,” who was arrested before boarding a flight at the Simón Bolívar Maiquetía International Airport.

There are also 49 people arrested for supplying goods and services to Edmundo González Urrutia’s campaign, while 24 establishments were sanctioned by the National Integrated Service of Customs and Tax Administration.

The right to asylum is also recorded as a violation. Six collaborators of María Corina Machado are taking refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas.

During the election day of July 28, citizen observation organizations recorded between 53.8 percent and 65.9 percent of incidents in polling stations that delayed the voting process.

Until 6 pm on July 28, the actions of the Plan República military were described as institutional, but at the closing of the polling stations, by superior orders, the presence of witnesses and citizen verification was prevented.

In 30.5 percent of the centers, copies of the minutes were denied to witnesses. “That day, 20 situations occurred that violated the right to freedom of expression and information, while at least 86 actions by armed groups loyal to the government occurred in 17 different states, resulting in eight people wounded by bullets and one killed.”

As of August 29, there were 1,590 detainees confirmed by NGOs, 86.1 percent men and 13.9 percent women.

Following July 28, during the citizen mobilizations due to discontent with the results announced by the National Electoral Council, the protest was addressed by the Government through a combination of “hard” and “soft” methods, as diagnosed by the United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission in a previous report on the situation in the country. “In order to neutralize the protests in the short term, the authorities ordered a massive and ferocious repression, in which between 24 and 26 people lost their lives in the context of the demonstrations. In addition, a quota of more than two thousand citizens was determined for detention, in order to generate an inhibitory effect, creating conditions for mass extortion by officials.”

These “hard” mechanisms were, after August 31, complemented by “soft” mechanisms, which included the approval of a law against NGOs, the mass cancellation of passports, dismissals for political reasons, encouragement of community denunciation through a technological application, inspection of cell phones at checkpoints and the dissemination of frightening messages by government spokespeople.

According to the report, Nicolás Maduro has been the main spokesperson for the publicly disclosed strategies of repression, including the fabrication of false positives to delegitimize complaints about violations of the right to life in the context of the protests, in a coordinated manner at different levels of public power, together with his allies.

As of August 29, there were 1,590 detainees confirmed by NGOs, 86.1 percent men and 13.9 percent women. Patterns linked to the detentions included short-term enforced disappearances, refusal to be represented by trusted lawyers, massive application of anti-terrorism legislation, virtual hearings in summary trials, and deprivation of liberty of adolescents and people with disabilities.

In addition, at least 184 actions by armed civilians, known as “collectives,” were recorded after July 28.