- Defender Joel García denounced that none of the leaders have had access to their lawyers
On August 22, attorney Joel García warned that the crimes for which political leaders and activists Freddy Superlano, Williams Dávila and Roland Carreño were arrested are still unknown.
“They are detained, but we do not know the causes, the motives, the reasons,” Garcia said in an interview for VPItvHe also mentioned that none of the three activists have had access to defense or visits from their families.
He reiterated that the same situation is experienced by the other detainees in the context of the post-election protests of July 29, who have also not been allowed access to private lawyers.
“I find it difficult to call this a judicial process. In a judicial process I could be called the defender of Roland Carreño, Superlano and Williams Dávila (…) as well as of the great number of people who have requested my services for advice. (But) it is not possible, since (the lawyers) do not have access to the courts, to the investigation and to the defense,” the defender emphasized.
Relatives denounce extortion by authorities
García revealed that he has received complaints from people who have been victims of extortion by the authorities to prevent their detained relatives from being brought before the Prosecutor’s Office.
“I have received calls from relatives telling me that a member of their family is being held and they are told that he had a photo on his cell phone and that if they agree to pay a certain amount of money they will not be handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office,” the lawyer said.
He claimed that there is a group of officials who are “devoting themselves” to this type of actions and that citizens have not reported the situation out of fear.
He recalled that the Venezuelan Constitution establishes that a detained person must be brought before the courts within a period of 48 hours. In this situation, he explained that in these cases, if the people do not agree to pay within that period, their relatives are placed at the disposal of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“The Prosecutor’s Office, instead of saying that they exceeded the 48-hour limit and requesting immediate release, does not do so and charges them. We are at the mercy of these unscrupulous people,” he said.
Cases of detained adolescents
Attorney Joel García referred to the cases of teenagers detained in post-election protests. He clarified that they should be treated differently than adults, in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Law for the Protection of Boys, Girls and Adolescents (Lopnna).
“Their process is more educational than reflective, and their parents and guardians are allowed to participate,” he explained.
He said that in these cases the authorities have not allowed the parents to have access to their detained teenage children, which he considered a “very serious violation.”
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2024-08-22 19:21:11
