- The figure given by the official prosecutor contrasts with that provided by organizations such as Foro Penal, which in its independent report counted 429 arrests to date.
On July 31, the Attorney General of Nicolás Maduro’s government, Tarek William Saab, reported that the number of people arrested for post-election protests in Venezuela had risen to 1,062.
He said the Public Prosecutor’s Office will begin an investigation into each case. He said those who are proven not to have been involved in the protests will be released, but those whose participation is verified “will remain deprived of their freedom for many years.”
He added that the charges against those arrested will include the crime of terrorism, although in other cases reported in recent days it was learned that they have also been accused of other charges such as inciting hatred, vandalism, attacking the sentry and even treason.
This number far exceeds independent reports collected by organizations such as Foro Penal, which so far count 429 verified arrests. Its director, Gonzalo Himiob, indicated that at least 170 of these detainees are currently in the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) known as “Zone 7,” located in Boleíta, Caracas.
Distribution
According to the Penal Forum, of the total arrests they handle, the majority have occurred in the state of Anzoátegui, with 99 arrests, and in the Capital District, with 80. They are followed by Barinas (32), Nueva Esparta (29), Lara (26), Zulia (24), Miranda (17), Portuguesa (17) and Aragua (16). The rest of the cases reported in the country are distributed in: Trujillo (11), Mérida (10), Táchira (10), Yaracuy (9), Monagas (7), Guárico (7), Vargas (7), Cojedes (7), Falcón (4) and Apure (1).
There are also many reports of missing persons on social media, especially between July 29 and 30, in the context of protests and repression. In some cases, these are people who were cut off from communication while they were sheltering from officials and armed groups, although in many cases there are also apparent detentions that could constitute a major under-reporting.
An example of this would be the case of the 25 students from the Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Seguridad (UNES), detained on July 28 at the institution’s headquarters in Catia, Caracas. After opposing an order from their authorities to receive assisted voting at the center located within the campus, they were arrested and it was only confirmed that Four of them are in command of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) in Maripérez. However, relatives have reported that they do not know the whereabouts of the rest.
Ketchup
During his statement, Saab said that there had not been a disproportionate repression by the security forces against the protesters. He even denied that there had been any murders in these protests, as documented in different photos and videos. On the contrary, he assured that these were set-ups and that he would investigate those involved.
“They have simulated criminal acts and they are going to be arrested for it. They fall on the floor, they pour tomato sauce on the person on the ground, something never seen before in necrophilic farce theatre,” he said.
It is worth noting that organizations such as Foro Penal and the National Hospital Survey (ENH) have recorded 11 deaths due to post-election violence. Although the figure rises to 12 when counting The case of Julio Valero Garciamurdered on July 28 in front of a polling station in the Guásimos municipality of Táchira state.
These reports have been taken directly from the records of the emergency rooms of several health centers, in addition to being confirmed by relatives of the victims. Under this same monitoring, the ENH also indicated a total of 92 injured (among them two minors), most with gunshot or repression wounds, as well as trauma.
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2024-08-01 01:04:05
