- The protesters denounced that people detained for political reasons are exposed to procedural delays, inadequate prison conditions and even cruel treatment.
A group of relatives of political prisoners protested on Thursday, July 18, in front of the main headquarters of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Parque Carabobo, Caracas, to demand an end to the arbitrary use of the Anti-Terrorism Law to accuse people detained for political reasons.
The protesters drafted a document addressed to the Attorney General of the Republic, Tarek William Saab, in which they request that the chronic use of this legislation to charge citizens and military personnel arrested be ended. They also demand that the Law Against Hate be stopped as a method of intimidation once morest those who exercise their civil liberties.
The relatives of the detainees gathered in front of the public institution at approximately 10:00 am and asked to be able to hand over the document to the head of the Prosecutor’s Office. They also carried signs with slogans such as “Close the torture centers” and “There are no free elections with political prisoners.”
The group of protesters also denounced that rights such as association, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are being criminalized in the country. They added that this has worsened in the context of the electoral campaign for the presidential elections on July 28.
Justice and freedom
The protesters took the opportunity to detail to the media the cruel treatment to which people detained for political reasons are exposed. They said that in some cases due process is violated in order to establish a conviction and prisoners subsequently have to face inhumane conditions of confinement.
“Justice and freedom” was one of the songs sung by those who went to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to accompany the peaceful protest.
Each of the relatives also raised banners to demand the release of various political prisoners and to ask that the procedural delays in several of the cases cease.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal reported on Tuesday, July 16, that the registry of political prisoners in the country had increased dramatically in recent weeks.
Alfredo Romero, the president of Foro Penal, said in a press conference that there are around 301 political suspects, of which 92 have not completed their legal proceedings.
The spokesman warned that more than 100 recent arrests are related to the team of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been touring the country in support of the candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia for the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD).
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2024-07-19 01:09:53
