The Penal Forum asked the relatives of political prisoners for “prudence” and “manage expectations” about future releases. «It is not the first time that news of this nature begins to circulate around the month of December (…) If these reviews occur and in some way releases occur based on what Mr. Nicolás Maduro and the prosecutor said, then welcome be. Every step towards freedom is a good step.”
He Venezuelan Criminal Forum This Thursday, November 14, he requested the Public Ministry to urgently review the cases of political prisoners with some type of disability or who require urgent medical attention, in addition to the files of adolescents detained for the post-election protests.
Last Tuesday the 12th, the Attorney General’s Office promised to accelerate criminal proceedings against adolescents and young people detained after July 28, after the ruler Nicolás Maduro requested “rectify” if there were errors in arrests during post-election protests.
“I hope there are as many releases as possible,” said Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of the Penal Forum in a press conference. But he pointed out that this year, as on previous occasions, the criteria used by the Public Ministry to review cases are not known.
«We call on the representatives of the Public Ministry who must carry out these reviews to contact us so that, based on the information we have and may be needed, we determine urgent and priority cases, for example, those with serious health problems. », highlighted Himiob.
He stated that, although all political prisoners should be released, a criterion for this should be known. «The truth is that if a selection is going to be made, it should be done taking into account the appropriate technical and factual bases and not simply an unknown criterion that leaves many people with a bad taste in their mouth, because the question always remains: why? this yes and this no?
He also asked family members to “be cautious” and “manage expectations” about future releases. «It is not the first time that news of this nature begins to circulate around the month of December (…) If these reviews occur and in some way releases occur based on what Mr. Nicolás Maduro and the prosecutor said, then welcome be. Every step towards freedom is a good step.
Among the cases that should be reviewed, they pointed out from the Penal Forum, those that require urgent medical attention due to serious illnesses should be included, as is the case with Yenny Bastidas, a social leader from Lara with cancer; the 10 people with disabilities they have registered, such as a young deaf who does not know sign language or any other way to communicate; just like teenagers.
“It is worth reminding the State that the health and lives of people who are in confinement are the responsibility of the custodians, and these custodians belong to the State,” Himiob highlighted.
*Read also: Political prisoner Jesús Martínez Medina died in custody due to lack of medical care
For his part, Alfredo Romero, president of the Penal Forum, recalled that before July 28, 305 people were registered as detained for political reasons. Following protests over the election results, 1,848 people were arrested. In the month of October alone, 14 arrests were recorded.
Of this group, just over 1,700 remain under arrest in prisons and police cells throughout the country. The vast majority are people arrested in non-violent demonstrations and activists or political leaders.
Balance of #PoliticalPrisoners in Venezuela on 11/11/2024 by 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹:
We have registered and classified the largest number of prisoners for political purposes known in #Venezuelaat least in the 21st century. We continue to receive and register detainees.
𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘀… pic.twitter.com/9xlmFt8CyV
— Penal Forum (@ForoPenal) November 13, 2024
«This is the highest number of political prisoners in all of Latin America, and obviously it worries us. We have always talked about the revolving door effect, a situation where people were imprisoned and then released. Today, and that is the relevant situation, what happened in this wave of repressive demonstrations is that people deprived of liberty who have already passed the medium term of incarceration remained and continue to remain. “That did not happen previously,” said Romero.
He indicated that the majority of those detained for the post-election protests are detained in the Aragua Judicial Confinement Center, better known as the Tocorón prison, followed by the Tocuyito (Carabobo), Yare III (Miranda), Sebin El Helicoide (Caracas) prisons. , Ramo Verde, La Crisálida and Rodeo I (Miranda).
To a lesser extent, there are people detained in police commands and the headquarters of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (Dgcim) in Boleíta, east of Caracas. In this place there are also political prisoners detained before July 28.
Prisoners missing
Gonzalo Himiob reported that there are 18 people detained after July 28 whose whereabouts are unknown, although the Penal Forum avoided describing it as a forced disappearance. Their relatives reported that they were allegedly detained by officials of the State security forces, but they have not been able to obtain information about their place of detention, their state of health or what their judicial situation is.
“We are taking steps to try to document them, to know where they are, because what is happening, and has happened at other times, is that when the authority detains a person, in this recent repressive wave, they do not tell the person the reasons why she is being detained, the security body that is carrying out the arrest is not identified and the person is not told what the destination or whereabouts are,” he explained.
Alfredo Romero also criticized the violations of due process and the right to defense. «Our system establishes as a fundamental principle, as a rule, that the person can choose their trusted lawyer. I invite you to review article 127 of the Organic Code of Criminal Procedure, in its third ordinal, it is clearly established that the person can designate his trusted lawyer and exceptionally a public lawyer is designated.
The lawyer said that it is even part of the “respect for the dignity” of anyone who is allowed to appoint their own lawyer. “Family members have reported this in different instances, we have gone to different detention centers carrying the designations signed by relatives, we have not had access to the detainees in any of the cases.”
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