At least 91 teenagers have been arrested in Venezuela in the past week in protests against the announced results of the July 28 election, which gave victory to Nicolás Maduro, several non-governmental organizations reported on Monday.
The Penal Forum, which leads the defense of those considered political prisoners in the country, assured in X that these arrests have been verified to date and are part of the total of 1,010 people behind bars for demonstrating, in almost all regions of the country, in rejection of the proclamation of Maduro, declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
In this regard, the general coordinator of the NGO Cecodap, Carlos Trapani, explained that these arrests have shown patterns contrary to legal regulations, such as the detention centers being police stations or military headquarters, instead of specialized spaces for the care of minors.
He added that another recurring feature is the violation of the established time periods for the presentation of adolescents in court, which should take place within a maximum of 24 hours from the time of their arrest, since there are cases of detainees who have been detained for up to six days without knowing what they are being accused of.
According to Trapani, the relatives of the teenagers have complained that the arrests were carried out with excessive physical and psychological violence, as well as a lack of communication between the detainees and their representatives or defenders.
The lawyer recalled that, according to Venezuelan legislation, a person under 14 years of age is not liable for criminal charges, so he called attention to the case of a 13-year-old boy who, according to records kept by human rights organizations, is among those arrested.
According to the ‘Network for the human rights of children and adolescents’ of Venezuela, a 15-year-old teenager died due to the “Excessive use of force by the officers (of the security forces) who contained the demonstration» in which he participated, in the state of Zulia (northwest, bordering Colombia).
«We demand that the State immediately cease the criminalization of peaceful protest, arbitrary detention, incommunicado detention, intimidation or any other act of violence against adolescents.“, added the NGO coalition in X.
While the CNE has not published the minutes certifying Maduro’s victory, as required by law, the main anti-Chavez bloc released “81%” of these documents, which show, according to the opposition, that its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won by a wide margin, sparking protests in the country that have left at least 13 dead and more than 2,000 arrested.
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2024-08-07 12:21:59
