Since the day of the presidential elections in Venezuela, on July 28, 19 murders have been recorded as a result of protests over dubious election results.
The information was released by Monitor de Víctimas, an initiative of Runrunes, Mi Convive and Provea, a human rights NGO.
Regarding the alleged perpetrators, the report It indicates that 8 would be unknown, in 6 cases they were apparent members of paramilitary movements (collectives) and in 3 of the cases, they were supposedly the result of the action of the National Guard.
The case of Pimpina
One of the most notable cases of death is that of young Aníbal José Romero Salazar, known as “Pimpina,” who was murdered in Antímano, Caracas.
Nevertheless, A different young man was presented to international media at a press conference by Nicolás Maduro, declaring that he was fine and that it had all been a setup.
According to the organization Cazadores de Fakes, “With evidence found in open sources, we were able to determine that the young man named “Albert Giuseppe Salazar Alvarado,” officially presented as an “actor” who faked his murder, is not related to the person killed in Carapita, Antímano. Through the investigation, photos of Aníbal José Romero Salazar were found in which he even appears wearing the same shirt he was wearing when he was killed.”.
Prosecutor Tarek William Saab himself pointed out that the protesters were simulating deaths “with tomato sauce”which he considered a “buffoonery and necrophiliac theatre”.
For its part, the organization Foro Penal announced that as of Thursday, August 1, they had registered 711 detainees, of which 74 are adolescents. The organization indicated that they continue to receive complaints. According to the ruler Nicolás Maduro, “we have 1,200 detainees and we are going for more” and indicated that he was preparing two detention centers for them.
Human rights defender Rafael Uzcátegui, director of Laboratorio de Paz, shared a video on his social networks in which 75 detainees in Yare III during the protests were “forced to perform the Chavista salute”
In some cases, the reasons for the arrests were for protesting, but there have also been reports on social media of people who have been removed from their homes for having been election witnesses last Sunday.
According to Foro Penal, hearings in the face of mass arrests for protesting against fraud “They are being carried out electronically, without allowing the detainees to see their families or be defended by their trusted lawyers.”
Journalists and media are targeted
Journalists and media outlets have also been victims of repression. The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) and the National College of Journalists-Caracas have reported on the arrest of several social communicators who were fulfilling their duties and their constitutional right to information at the time of their arrest:
Foreign journalists have also been victims, such as the press team from Chile’s national television station that was detained in Táchira. “Reporter Iván Núñez and cameraman José Tapia entered by land from #Cucuta #Colombia . According to unofficial information, the journalists will be deported,” he said. the CNP-Caracas.
Other journalists have been harassed and subjected to public ridicule and there is mmedia outlets that have had to stop their operations, undermining citizens’ freedom to be informed,
#murders #Venezuela #election #day
2024-09-13 19:41:10