More than a decade of the death of Bassil Da Costacitizens from different areas of Caracas gathered on the corner of Tracabordo, in La Candelaria, to remember him and reiterate their demands for justice.
The activity brought together relatives of victims and protesters, who denounced that those intellectually responsible for the events of 2014 continue without being judged. They also claimed the release of political prisoners and they stressed that any amnesty process must be guided by values of justice and freedom.
During the event, the journalist and former political prisoner, Carlos Julio Rojas, insisted on the importance of preserving the memory of those who, according to him, have been symbols of the democratic struggle in the country. He recalled that Da Costa was murdered while participating in a protest and warned that there cannot be talk of reconciliation without accountability.
“To be true, amnesty requires justice, This cannot be applied to those guilty of the brutal repression except in order to free political prisoners and thus achieve true reconciliation. We do not forget the waves of brutal repression in 2014 or 2017 led by generals Rodríguez Torres and Reverol that cost hundreds of lives,” he highlighted.
They demand political freedom, justice and an international commission for victims
Rojas stressed that the demand for freedom for those detained for political reasons has become a cause shared by large sectors of the country. At the same time, he emphasized the need to keep present the names of those who have lost their lives in this context.
“If we do not want more dictatorships, one way is to remember our martyrs like Bassil, Carlitos Morenos, a young Ucevista murdered by collectives in 2018, or Fernando Albán himself. We must also honor, for example, those who died in captivity like Raúl Baduel or my fellow prisoner in El Helicoide Alfredo Díaz. The intellectual authors must be brought to justice and guaranteed all the human rights that they did not constantly deny,” he stated.
He journalistwho is also a human rights defender, and was spokesperson for the Caracas Northern Front, proposed as a necessary step the formation of a Truth Commission with international support, which investigates the alleged crimes against humanity and supervises the application of the amnesty law which could be approved shortly. In that context, he also alluded to more recent events and the claim of the victims’ families.
“For example, the 25 Venezuelans murdered in the framework of the elections of July 28, 2024 “Only by demanding democracy do they deserve justice, the families of the fallen, having today the example of Juancho Montoya’s brother, still continue to demand that the guilty be held accountable before the law,” he noted.
With information from a press release.
