The OVP expressed its concern about this “cruel and systematic” practice and reported that the registry was sent to international bodies.
The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) has documented at least 23 new cases of harassment and arrests of relatives of political prisoners so far this year, a practice known as Sippenhaft, which means “punishment for family responsibility.”
Through a press release, the NGO highlighted that this practice began in 2014, but has intensified, particularly after the presidential elections of July 28, 2024.
Among the victims of this type of violence, the organization highlighted the cases of defender Rocío San Miguel, detained along with her daughter, husband, ex-husband and brothers; journalist Ana Carolina Guaita, arrested for not finding her parents; the leader Yenny Barrios, an oncology patient (recently deceased), after whose release her son Diego Sierralta was detained; as well as the arrests of Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of Edmundo González; of the leader Biagio Pilieri and his son; of the leader Juan Pablo Guanipa, whose brother was also detained; and the defender Pedro Hernández, along with his wife, father, brother and a cousin.
According to the OVP, there are other cases with similar patterns, among which it mentioned the arrest of Blanca de Loaiza and her sons Omario and José Castellanos; the arrests of the parents, brother, aunt, cousin and wife of the soldier José Rodríguez Araña; and, in the case of Captain Antonio Sequea, his mother’s arrestniece and brother-in-law.
The Observatory’s registry includes the arrests in Carabobo of the relatives of Miguel Guillen. When they could not locate him, they detained the mother Miriam Fernández Ruiz (72), her son Miguel Ángel (17), her daughter Chantal Guillén Ibarra and her two-year-old granddaughter, Nicol Palermo. The teenager and the girl remained at a police station for at least three days.
In Barinas, the NGO highlighted the cases of Ángel José Cruz (7), José Ángel Cruz (9), José Antonio Cruz (5) and Ivanela Pérez Villegas (12), along with their nanny Franyelis and the children’s mother. “They were all in the hands of security forces for more than 72 hours,” he said in the press release.
He most recent case documented by the organization It was in Caracas with the arrest of Samanta Sofía Hernández Castillo (16), sister of the lieutenant in exile Christián Hernández; His father and sister were also arrested.
The OVP expressed its concern about this “cruel and systematic” practice and reported that the registry was sent to international bodies.
«We demand a thorough investigation of all the recorded events, as well as the immediate cessation of this policy of persecution based on family ties. Likewise, we demand justice and comprehensive reparation for all the victims of the Sippenhaft in Venezuela.
With information from a press release
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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