- The NGO’s balance sheet is until September 2, 2024
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal reported that there were a total of 1,793 detainees as of September 2, of which 225 are women, 59 are adolescents and 1,568 are men who were arrested in the context of post-election protests since July 29.
Gonzalo Himiob, coordinator of the NGO, published the update of the numbers on his X account, warning that, of this figure, 1,644 are still awaiting sentencing. The image of the report also indicates that 1,636 are civilians and 157 are military personnel.
The Penal Forum reported on August 23 that Venezuela had the highest number of political prisoners in the history of Venezuela, “at least in the 21st century,” with a total of 1,674 political prisoners.
Among those arrested are political leaders, media workers, military personnel, civilians, teenagers, lawyers and activists or human rights defenders.
The organization’s lawyers have denounced that most of these political prisoners are accused of the crime of terrorism, a crime that has also been charged against the adolescents.
Transfers to prisons in the country
Several non-governmental organizations have warned about the transfer of several detainees during the post-election protests to prisons in the country.
The Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) reported on August 31 that less than 700 peoplearbitrarily detained after the presidential elections of July 28, were taken to the Aragua Penitentiary Center, known as “Tocorón”; the Hombre Nuevo Libertador Training Center, known as “Fénix Carabobo,” and the facilities of the evacuated Carabobo Penitentiary Center, known as “Tocuyito.”
On August 25, according to testimonies from family members collected by the OVP, a group of people were admitted to the Capital Judicial Internment Center “Yare III”, where they allegedly had their hair shaved and were dressed in blue shirts and pants.
On August 27, the OVP reported transfers from the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) in San Francisco in Zulia state and from the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the PNB in Barinas, to the central region of the country where the Tocorón and Tocuyito prisons are located.
On August 30, relatives from Nueva Esparta state reported that a group of political prisoners were transported by plane to other prisons in the country. The OVP also confirmed similar movements from Táchira and Apure.
HRW warns of “brutal repression” against citizens in the post-election context in Venezuela
The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on September 4 in which it denounced repression of protests following the presidential elections on July 28.
HRW said it has “credible reports of 24 killings” in the context of the protests, including a member of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB).
“Many relatives, witnesses and others who could provide information about the cases did not want to be interviewed for fear of government reprisals,” he said.
The NGO called for support for the ongoing investigation by the ICC Prosecutor’s Office and for consideration of imposing individual sanctions on those responsible for serious human rights violations.
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2024-09-08 09:32:07
