IACHR granted precautionary measures for lawyer Joel Antonio García Hernández

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has granted precautionary measures in favor of Joel Antonio García Hernández, a lawyer and human rights defender, who has suffered threats and attacks related to his work defending people considered “political prisoners” in Venezuela.

On February 28, 2024, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) filed a request for precautionary measures with the IACHR, which was granted on May 13, 2024, under Resolution 31/2024.

According to information provided to the Commission, the OVP team recounted García’s work as an advocate for human rights defenders for over a decade, as well as events that occurred in the past throughout his litigation work in Venezuela.

“This situation was reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office, without receiving a timely and adequate response,” the OVP explained.

For its part, the Commission, after evaluating the allegations, as well as “the context of hostility in the country against legal defenders and the lack of response from the administration of Nicolás Maduro, understands, prima facie, that the requirements of seriousness, urgency and irreparability are present.”

In this regard, Article 25 of the Regulations requests that Venezuela adopt the necessary measures to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of Joel Antonio García Hernández, in accordance with applicable international standards and obligations, including acts of risk attributable to third parties.

They also request that the Court implement the necessary measures so that the beneficiary can carry out his duties as a defense attorney without being subject to acts of intimidation, threats or other acts of violence in the exercise of these duties; that the Court agree on the measures to be adopted with the beneficiary and his representatives; and that the Court report on the actions taken to investigate the alleged facts that gave rise to these precautionary measures and thus prevent their repetition.