WASHINGTON D.C. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) rejected through a statement the measures adopted by the Public Ministry of Venezuela aimed at hindering the participation of the opposition in the 2024 presidential elections, according to the text.
The organization urges the State to refrain from arbitrarily detaining opposition members, releasing political prisoners and allowing political participation under equal conditions.
In the letter, the main and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) indicates that on December 6, the Attorney General issued arrest warrants for 14 people, accusing them of treason, conspiracy, association to commit a crime. and money laundering in relation to the Essequibo territorial dispute, which pits Venezuela and Guyana against each other.
Among the people with an arrest warrant were opposition leaders and members of the work team of the presidential candidate María Corina Machado. Also Roberto Abdul, president of the civil organization Súmate, who was detained, temporarily disappeared and presented to the courts without having access to a technical defense of his election.
They discourage political participation, says IACHR
For the organization, these actions are part of a pattern of persecution aimed at discouraging the political participation of the opposition, which has been documented by the IACHR and other international organizations.
Among others, on October 25, the Public Ministry had already opened an investigation against the organizers of a citizen consultation that had the objective of choosing the person who aspires to contest the 2024 presidential election. The winner of said consultation was precisely María Corina Machado, who is also the beneficiary of precautionary measures.
The IACHR reaffirms that the Venezuelan justice system does not offer guarantees of independence and impartiality and that it has played a significant role in the repression of opponents of the government. At the same time, it warns that the use of extremely broad, vague and ambiguous criminal figures such as treason can be instrumentalized to persecute and prevent legitimate political participation.
The Inter-American Commission reiterates its call to the State to immediately release all persons arbitrarily detained, as well as to urgently adopt measures to restore the separation and independence of public powers and guarantee the political participation of the opposition in the presidential elections. of 2024.
The IACHR is a main and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate arises from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The inter-American body has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS on the matter. It is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
Source: The IACHR of the Organization of American States (OAS)
