Amnesty International: URGENT ACTION-VENEZUELA: PROTESTERS DETAINED, AT RISK OF ILL-TREATMENT

Fuente: http://www.amnesty.org

UA: 119/14 Index: AMR 53/013/2014 Venezuela Date: 9 May 2014

Security forces in Caracas detained 243 people involved in ongoing anti-government demonstrations between 7 and 8 May. The whereabouts of those who have not yet been released remain unknown. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. 

Between 7 and 8 May security forces in the Chacao and Baruta Municipalities of Caracas, the capital, detained 243 people in four makeshift camps built as part of anti-government demonstrations that have been ongoing throughout the country since February 2014. Some of these 243 people have already been released, including some minors. 

The relatives of those detained have expressed concern at the reports of excessive use of force by security forces in their operation to dismantle the four makeshift camps built by protesters. The relatives have also stated they have been unable to establish the exact whereabouts of their family members following the detention. 

In the context of the ongoing protests in Venezuela, Amnesty International has received dozens of complaints about torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by members of the security forces, at the time of detention, during transfer and at detention centres. The detainees’ safety and right to due process are at grave risk. 

Clashes as Venezuela protesters call for democratic 'resurrection'

Fuente:http://www.dw.de             

21.04.2014

Protesters against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have vented their anger on Easter marches. The demonstrators demanded the "resurrection" of democracy amid clashes with police.

A section of demonstrators chose to show their opposition to the government of Maduro with a barefoot walk through the streets of Caracas, in continuation of a weekend of religious-themed protests.

The Via Crucis march, intended to mirror Jesus' walk to crucifixion, was only one of several shows of defiance across the country. It was held under the banner "Resurrection of Democracy."

On occasion, the protests turned violent, with masked demonstrators in the Chacao district throwing petrol bombs at police who responded with tear gas and water cannon. Several hundred people had gathered in the district, chanting "Liberty!" and placing barricades across the street.

Everything you need to know about the Venezuelan protests

Dozens have died in protests that have shaken Venezuela's government. Why are Venezuelans angry?

Fuente: The Week Staff | April 12, 2014

What are the protests about?

A broken economy, crime, shortages of basic goods, and political repression. When the populist President Hugo Chávez died last year, he left Venezuela's economy and civil society in shambles. Chávez's handpicked successor, President Nicolás Maduro, has none of Chávez's charisma, but essentially the same socialist policies and autocratic governing style, and the country has quickly deteriorated. Its murder rate of 25,000 per year is among the world's highest, with a Venezuelan killed every 20 minutes. Crime is so bad that the government stopped tracking it, claiming the data was being "politicized." Kidnappings and robberies are rampant, and the police have been corrupted by criminal gangs. Venezuela exports oil and imports nearly everything else, so when global oil prices stalled this year, it triggered a runaway annual inflation rate of 57 percent, as the bolivar currency lost much of its value. Families have been unable to buy toilet paper, flour, cooking oil, and other staples. "We are in a critical situation," says Caracas pollster Luis Vicente León, who warns that much of the country is near open revolt.

Who is leading the protests?

Protests started among students but quickly morphed into a general anti-government movement. Political opponents of Maduro, including opposition leader Leopoldo López, called for major demonstrations on Feb. 12, the bicentennial of the Battle of La Victoria, a pivotal moment in Venezuela's war of independence when students and youth joined the fight. Those marches were largely peaceful except in Caracas, where three people were killed. Maduro blamed López for the violence and ordered his arrest, and that touched off a wave of further demonstrations in cities across the country. The more harshly police cracked down on protests, the angrier people got. "The Venezuelan government has openly embraced the classic tactics of an authoritarian regime, jailing its opponents, muzzling the media, and intimidating civil society," says José Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch.

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Languishes In Jail As Protests Continue

Leopoldo Lopez was jailed shortly after Venezuela’s anti-government protests began. “In Venezuela there’s no justice. And he represents that,” one activist said.

Rosie GrayBuzzFeed   April 1, 2014 at 9:39pm EDT

 LOS TEQUES, Venezuela — The prison where Leopoldo Lopez is being held sits high on the mountainside above the small city of Los Teques, about an hour away from the Caracas streets where he gave himself up to authorities over a month ago.

The Ramo Verde prison is a military prison — but it has a history of housing political prisoners, and it’s where Lopez, the charismatic Harvard-educated Venezuelan opposition leader and head of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, is jailed on charges of conspiracy and arson (other charges for murder and terrorism have been dropped). Lopez, who turned himself in during a dramatic protest on Feb. 19, has had to sit out most of the demonstrations he spearheaded at the beginning of Venezuela’s current period of anti-government unrest. His isolation has put him out of the game at a critical time. Venezuela’s protesters are still out in the streets, but six weeks of demonstrations have produced no results, and the man who has championed the long shot “La Salida” (the exit) strategy of demanding that President Nicolas Maduro resign is not there to see whether it might work.

Foreign Office Minister urges dialogue in Venezuela

       Source: https://www.gov.uk 
         London, 26 March 2014

As violent protests continue in Venezuela, Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire has called for restraint.

Hugo Swire said:

"With protests ongoing in Venezuela since early February, I remain deeply concerned about the situation in the country. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred, and condemn all acts of violence. It is important that the right to free speech and to protest peacefully are respected, and that those being investigated are afforded due legal process.

John Kerry says Venezuela 'terror campaign' must end

The government says opposition mayors have to act against the street barricades in some areas

13 March 2014 Last updated at 20:20 ET

www.bbc.com

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the government of Venezuela must end its "terror campaign against its own citizens".

Mr Kerry said the Organisation of American States (OAS), allies and neighbours should demand accountability of Venezuela over the protests.

Authorities say 28 people have died since they began more than a month ago.

Venezuela accuses the United States of helping "right-wing fascists" to plot a coup with the unrest.

Mr Kerry's remarks are the starkest from Washington since the protests began.

Venezuela / Demonstrations: UN experts ask for clarification on alleged arbitrary detentions and use of violence

UN Human Rights/ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

http://www.ohchr.org

Geneva, 6 March 2014  

A group of United Nations independent experts* have asked the Government of Venezuela for prompt clarification of allegations of arbitrary detention and excessive use of force and violence against protesters, journalists and media workers during the recent wave of protests in the country. 

“The recent violence amid protests in Venezuela need to be urgently and thoroughly investigated, and perpetrators must be held accountable,” the experts stressed. They also expressed their shock at the reported deaths of at least 17 persons during the demonstrations.

“We are deeply disturbed by the allegations of multiple cases of arbitrary detention of protesters. Some were reportedly beaten -and in some cases severely tortured- by security forces, taken to military facilities, kept in incommunicado detention, and denied access to legal assistance,” they said. “These reports need to be urgently clarified and anyone who remains arbitrarily detained should be released without condition.”

The independent experts also drew attention to reports of violence against journalists and media workers monitoring and reporting on demonstrations in Venezuela: “Ensuring full protection to journalists and media workers covering the difficult period experienced by the country today is crucial.”

Amnesty International: URGENT ACTION (Voluntad Popular)

UA: 33/14 Index: AMR 53/004/2014 Venezuela Date: 18 February 2014

URGENT ACTION

OPPOSITION PARTY HEADQUARTERS RAIDED

The headquarters of opposition party Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) were raided three times by security forces on 17 February. The raids appear to be an attempt to intimidate party members following their participation in recent anti-government protests.

Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) has denounced how officials of the Directorate of Military Intelligence and the National Guard entered their headquarters on three occasions on 17 February without producing a search warrant. Party members claim the officials were armed and broke into their offices without identifying themselves, causing damage to private property and intimidating their staff. They reported that the military seized the office’s security cameras, servers and other computer equipment. The officials also took with them Leonardo José Contreras, the bodyguard of David Smolansky, Mayor of El Hatillo municipality in Caracas, the capital.

Voluntad Popular believes that the security forces intended to detain Carlos Vecchio, national political coordinator of the party, who earlier that day gave a press conference confirming a call for a mass anti-government demonstration on 18 February. The demonstration was initially called by Leopoldo Lopez, leader of Voluntad Popular, who according to reports had an arrest warrant issued against him on 13 February for his alleged responsibility for violence that occurred during and after student demonstrations in the last two weeks.

During these recent protests three people were killed in Caracas, the capital, and scores were injured nationwide following clashes between the protesters, security forces and armed civilians.

Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:

 Expressing concern at the raids of Voluntad Popular’s office, stating that it appears to be an attempt to intimidate the opposition party because of their participation in anti-government protests;

 Calling on the authorities to either charge those detained with a recognisable offence or release them immediately, to respect the right of all those charged with an offence to due process and to order a full and impartial investigation into the incident;

 Urging them to ensure that the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly are respected without discrimination, and to publicly condemn any act of violence or abuse that seeks to intimidate or silence those exercising their legitimate right to participate in these events.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 1 APRIL 2014 TO:

President of Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro Moros
Final Avenida Urdaneta, Esq. De Bolero Palacio de Miraflores
Caracas, Distrito Capital
Venezuela
Twitter: @NicolasMaduro
Salutation: Señor Presidente /
Dear President

Attorney General of the Republic
Dra. Luisa Ortega Díaz
Edificio Sede Principal del Ministerio Público, Esquinas de Misericordia a Pele El Ojo Avenida México, Caracas Venezuela
Email: ministeriopublico@mp.gob.ve
Fax: +58 212 578 3239
Salutation: Dra. Fiscal / Dear Prosecutor

And copies to:
Amnistía Internacional Venezuela Av la Salle, Torre Phelps, piso 17, Oficina 17A
Plaza Venezuela
Los Caobos, Caracas 1050 Venezuela
Fax: +58 212 793 1318 ext. 116 Email: info@aiven.org

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
NameAddress 1Address 2Address 3 Fax Fax numberEmail Email address Salutation Salutation 

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

URGENT ACTION

OPPOSITION PARTY HEADQUARTERS RAIDED
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Amnesty International has welcomed the message of non-violence sent by both the President of the Republic and opposition leaders ahead of the mass mobilization planned for 18 February. This is especially relevant following violent outbreaks that occurred during and after pro and anti-government demonstrations on 12 February to mark Venezuelan’s Day of Youth, where three people were killed in Caracas, the capital, and scores were injured nationwide. Since 4 February several student demonstrations took place across Venezuela, during which there has been reported human rights violations and abuses.

Reports were received of excessive use of force by the security forces, including the use of fire arms, as well as clashes between protesters and security forces and violence against protesters by armed civilians, allegedly perpetrated with the consent of the security forces. For more information, see UA 29/14, Three protestors killed, others injured (http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR53/002/2014/en).

Amnesty International has been calling on the demonstrators to exercise their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association in a peaceful manner and it is urging the authorities to ensure that everyone can participate in protests without fear of being abused, detained or even killed.

The authorities must ensure that incidents occurring during pro and anti-government demonstrations in recent weeks do not go unpunished and will be investigated in a thorough and impartial manner regardless of the political ideologies of those in question.

Name: members of Voluntad Popular Gender m/f: both

UA: 33/14 Index: AMR 53/004/2014 Issue Date: 18 February 2014 

Venezuela: Investigate Violence During Protests

Source: www.hrw.org

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

(Washington, D.C.) – Venezuelan authorities should investigate the violence during demonstrations across the country on February 12, 2014 promptly and impartially, Human Rights Watch said today. Investigations should not be used as a pretext for prosecuting political opponents or limiting free speech. 

At least three demonstrators were killed and more than 60 others injured during clashes with security forces. Senior government officials blamed the opposition leader, Leopoldo López, for the killings, and a Caracas judge issued an arrest warrant for him, local media reported. The international cable news channel NTN24 was taken off the air in the afternoon in response to its coverage of the protests, the station reported.  

“What Venezuela urgently needs is for these killings to be investigated and the killers brought to justice, no matter their political affiliation,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “What Venezuela does not need is authorities scapegoating political opponents or shutting down news outlets whose coverage they don’t like.”

Venezuela must investigate demonstration deaths

Source: www.amnesty.org

Authorities in Venezuela must urgently investigate the deaths of three people during protests yesterday, said Amnesty International.

“It is extremely concerning that violence has become a regular feature during protests in Venezuela. If the authorities are truly committed to preventing more deaths, they must ensure those responsible for the violence, demonstrators, security forces and armed civilians alike face justice,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

“Protesters still held in detention must be charged with a crime or immediately released.”

According to reports, journalists were prevented from covering the protests. At least one TV channel is now believed to have been blocked.