Provea denounces the irregularities and judicial processes without guarantees to which human rights activists have been subjected: arbitrary detention, incommunicado, isolation and lack of access to justice
Provea demands the immediate release of Carlos Julio Rojas, Eduardo Torres, Rocío San Miguel, Javier Tarazona and Kennedy Tejeda, human rights defenders “unjustly imprisoned in Venezuela.”
On Human Rights Defenders Day, the organization remembers the work of all activists and condemns that at least five defenders are imprisoned for carrying out their work.
He assures that his arrests are not isolated cases. They are “prisoners of conscience, stagnant cases, without guarantees and confined in El Helicoide. We demand his release,” he wrote on his X account.
Provea denounces the irregularities and judicial processes without guarantees to which human rights activists have been subjected: arbitrary detention, incommunicado, isolation and lack of access to justice.
*Read also: Committee denounces arbitrary transfers of political prisoners, including Aldo Rosso
The cases
Provea explains the circumstances of the arrest and the work carried out by the defenders:
Rocío San Miguel. He has demanded accountability from the military power since 2005 with the NGO Citizen Control. She was arrested along with five members of her family in February 2024 and accused of “terrorism and treason.” Today he remains in El Helicoide, four of his five relatives were released with precautionary measures and a prohibition on speaking about the case.
Javier Tarazona. The professor, from the NGO Fundaredes, warned about armed groups on the border and documented abuses against teachers. He was arrested in July 2021 after reporting threats. It’s in El Helicoide.
Eduardo Torres. He is a lawyer for Provea. He defended workers and political prisoners until his forced disappearance in May 2025. His confinement in El Helicoide was confirmed after eight days of pressure. Today he is imprisoned in the Yare II prison.
Carlos Julio Rojas. He is a journalist and community leader, he was arrested on April 15, 2024 and is being held in El Helicoide, accused of “terrorism and assassination.” He is isolated, without private defense and in deteriorating health.
Kennedy Tejeda. He is a Criminal Forum lawyer. He was arrested on August 2, 2024 in the state of Carabobo after trying to provide legal assistance to a group of people in a National Guard command. He was missing for 20 hours and was transferred to the Dgcim headquarters without access to lawyers. He remains detained in the Tocorón prison, in the state of Aragua.
Provea demands immediate release, fair trials, contact with family members and guaranteeing the right to legal assistance.
The organization Foro Penal has denounced the attempt to criminalize the work of human rights defenders by the Maduro administration.
According to its most recent report on political prisoners in the country, there are 887 people detained for political reasons and it warned about the case of 60 people whose whereabouts are unknown.
*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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