- María Corina Machado and Edmundo González are finalists for the Sakharov Prize. Relatives of detainees in the post-election context protested in Carabobo. Borrel insisted that the EU is willing to take measures to support democracy in Venezuela. And they revealed Liam Payne’s autopsy report | Photo: José Daniel Ramos
During the day on Thursday, October 17, it was learned that the opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González were selected as finalists for the Sakharov Prize. On the other hand, relatives of detainees in the post-election context protested outside the Tocuyito prison, in Carabobo, to denounce the poor conditions of their relatives deprived of liberty.
For his part, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, insisted that the EU must be willing to offer all the necessary tools to support democracy in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) published its report Political rights of the Venezuelan prison populationin which he denounced the lack of guarantees for people deprived of liberty to exercise the vote, considered a fundamental human right.
Likewise, Argentine authorities revealed the preliminary autopsy report of Liam Payne, former member of the British band One Direction.
Below are the highlights from Thursday, October 17:
This Thursday, October 17, the European Parliament selected Edmundo González and María Corina Machado as finalists for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience awarded by the institution every year.
The Foreign Affairs and Development committees of the European Parliament elected the three finalists by secret vote and excluded the candidate, owner of platform X, Elon Musk.
The awarding of the Sakharov Prize to María Corina Machado and Edmundo González would be a firm message in defense of freedom, democracy and human rights. It would be fundamental support to the Venezuelan people in their fight against the totalitarian government of Nicolás Maduro,” Spanish MEP Dolors Montserrat said in a statement on the day of the nomination.
In addition, a Palestinian-Israeli peace project and an anti-corruption activist from Azerbaijan were selected.
A group of relatives of those detained in the post-election context protested on Thursday, October 17, outside the Tocuyito Penal Center, in Carabobo, to denounce the poor conditions in which the prisoners are found and to demand their release.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) A Window to Freedom reported that the mother of one of the detainees indicated that those deprived of liberty have not drunk water for four days and do not have personal hygiene products.
“My son told me: ‘Mom, I want water’ (…) They don’t have soap, they don’t have deodorant, they don’t have any personal hygiene and they don’t allow family members to give them anything. They don’t even allow you to pass him a piece of candy,” he said.
Furthermore, another of the mothers maintained that although she was able to see her son, who told her that they no longer gave him food with worms, the food they offer him is still in poor condition.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, pointed out on Thursday, October 17, that the EU must be willing to use whatever measures are necessary to support the people of Venezuela in their democratic struggle.
The European Union has to be willing to use all our tools, all our diplomatic capacity, all measures to support the people of Venezuela in their democratic struggle,” Borrell said upon arrival at the summit of European leaders being held in Brussels.
The political crisis in Venezuela is one of the topics that the heads of state and government will debate at this meeting, at the request of Spain.
“The Council will discuss this, but rest assured that we will take all necessary measures. “We are willing to take all necessary measures to support democracy in Venezuela,” Borrell stressed to the press.
The OVP published the report on October 17 Political rights of the Venezuelan prison populationin which he denounced the lack of guarantees for people deprived of liberty to exercise the vote, considered a fundamental human right.
The study determined that, of 42,863 prisoners, only 9.21% had the right to vote in the presidential elections of July 28. Humberto Prado, director of the NGO, explained that the Venezuelan State only set up 8 of 38 voting centers (47.36%) in prisons throughout the national territory.
The organization expressed its concern about the lack of information on the remaining 52.64% and the omission of public data, such as the number of people deprived of liberty with the right to vote. They highlighted that the law allows detainees awaiting trial to vote, since the presumption of innocence is a key principle of justice.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Thursday, October 17, that, according to his latest updated and verified figures, there are 191 people arbitrarily detained in Venezuela. The statements were made during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York,
Türk had just delivered his annual report to the Third Committee of the General Assembly and then offered journalists a brief overview of the places in the world with the highest number of human rights violations.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded the immediate release of the detainees and urged “to work to create an acceptable civic space” in which freedoms of association, expression and assembly are respected.
6. Venezuelan opponents met with Portuguese deputy Paulo Rebelo to recognize Edmundo González
This Thursday, October 17, a group of Venezuelan opponents met with the Portuguese socialist deputy Paulo Rebelo, within a round of contacts with the parties in Portugal to request express recognition of “the victory of Edmundo González” in the presidential elections of July 28 in Venezuela.
The delegation was made up of the former mayor of Caracas Antonio Ledezma and José Antonio Vega, coordinator in Spain of the campaign command of the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado y de González, as well as Venezuelan opponents in Portugal.
During their meeting with Rebelo, the leaders explained the current situation in Venezuela and asked that Portugal recognize González as the country’s elected president.
The preliminary autopsy report on Liam Payne, the former member of the British band One Direction, shows that he died from “polytrauma” and suffered “internal and external hemorrhage.” This was reported this Thursday, October 17, by local police sources.
The autopsy, carried out by the forensic medical team of the Supreme Court of Justice, led by forensic experts Santiago Maffia Bizzozero and Víctor Cohen, confirmed that the 31-year-old musician died from the fall.
Payne, composer and guitarist, died on Wednesday, October 16 when falling from the third floor of a hotel in the Palermo neighborhood in the Argentine capital.
In The Diary We present you a summary with the most important information of the day, which you should know at the national and international level.
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