Relatives of political prisoners claim that public defenders only tell them that they have to wait and do not have access to the files. In the case of the 49 arrested in La Guaira, none of them have had a preliminary hearing. Of the group of eight teenagers detained in Caracas, only one (Diomer Gómez) had his preliminary hearing and was sent to trial on the night of September 26
Relatives of 57 political prisoners, including eight teenagers, detained for the post-election protests in Caracas and La Guaira, this Thursday, October 3, filed an appeal for protection before the Supreme Court of Justice where they request the annulment of all the cases, as well as respect for the due process and your right to defense.
«They are not being allowed to defend themselves, only by public defenders. We don’t have a reliable defense that we know is moving for guys. At the Ombudsman’s Office they only tell us to wait, that it is a long process and to have faith,” said Marelis Ruiz, whose nephew Miguel Urbina is detained in a center for adolescents in conflict with criminal law in El Cementerio, west of Caracas.
He indicated that his nephew was at home, taking care of his brother, when he was arrested. «In many cases, boys who were at home, on the street or playing sports. “They were detained without an arrest warrant, they were not caught flagrante delicto, far from it, they have no evidence of anything.”
Ruiz denounced that the Prosecutor’s Office is relying on “jurisprudence to be able to present the flimsy evidence they have during the trial, but not in the preliminary trial. So they are not leaving them any type of defense at this time.
Of the group of eight teenagers detained in Caracas, only one (Diomer Gómez) had his preliminary hearing and was sent to trial the night of September 26. «Without evidence of anything, the lawyer could not present anything, they relied on jurisprudence and now he is waiting for trial. The others have not even had the preliminary,” Ruiz reiterated.
In the case of the 49 arrested in La Guaira, none of them have had a preliminary hearing, explained Wendy Liendo, mother of Víctor Uzcátegui. «They are supposedly starting to give the dates. We are going to the lawyer today to get the dates. But they have not released anyone, neither the 49 adults nor five detained minors.
«In Tocuyito there are boys who are depressed, who are malnourished. There are boys with serious health problems, several have attempted suicide. We entered the visit on Tuesday after 60 days of not seeing our relatives. Truly, what we demand is freedom, that their human rights be respected. “They don’t let us carry parcels, they don’t do sports, they don’t even let them exercise inside a cell,” said Liendo.
He said that the relatives are willing to bring them the “packages”, that is, clothing and food, in addition to their medicines. “There are many who have brought them medicine and they don’t give it to them, they don’t give it to them.”
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