MADRID, Spain.- At least three people with disabilities are being prosecuted in Venezuela, denounced This Tuesday, the Confederation of the Deaf of Venezuela (Consorven) expressed its concern in a statement about the arrests that are taking place in the country during protests against the re-election of Nicolás Maduro as president.
Consorten pointed out that since the July 29th have observed multiple violations of the rights of people with disabilities. The statement details several specific incidents, including the arrest of a deaf young man in the El Valle parish. The young man, who does not understand sign language or know how to read or write, was approached by the Bolivarian National Guard as he left work, without understanding the reason for his arrest. This person “requires alternative communication systems provided by sign language interpreters,” the organization said.
In another case, a teenager with autism was arrested in Los Teques while he was heading home after work. State security forces He was arrested for his alleged participation in protests, without any reasonable accommodations being made to address his disability. Consorten stressed that the young man does not understand the reason for his arrest.
Likewise, the confederation reported the arrest of another person with intellectual disabilities in Caracas, accused of disturbing public order in a video. The statement mentions that the boy has learning difficulties and short-term memory.
Consorven also pointed out that “national media, both public and private, are not guaranteeing the use of interpreters in Venezuelan sign language, electronic subtitles, pictograms and infographics,” and stressed that the lack of accessible information puts people with disabilities at risk.
In light of these events, Consorven called on the Venezuelan authorities to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities as provided for in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In particular, they stressed the importance of ensuring the freedom and safety of detained persons and equal access to justice, including the application of reasonable adjustments throughout the judicial process.
The organization concluded by urging the Venezuelan State to respect the constitutional guarantees of people with disabilities and the media to guarantee the Right to information in accessible formats, in compliance with Article 21 of the aforementioned Convention.
State security forces and armed groups known as colectivos have repressed with extreme violence the demonstrations following the election results, where the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro the winner. Since the president of the CNE, Elvis Amorosoannounced Maduro’s victory, some 1,100 people have been arrested, including human rights activists, election witnesses, lawyers, protesters and a hundred teenagers. The repression also It has cost life at least twenty people.
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