Ana Baldé, Gabriella Baranowska and Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, members of the UN Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances, indicated that the “alarming” increase in cases has been recorded since December 2023. On that date, the Nicolás Maduro regime agreed with the Joe Biden administration on exchange of 10 American prisoners for Alex Saaballeged front man of the Chavista ruler.
These forced disappearances, according to the experts, would be affecting citizens who exercise their right to freedom of expression, association and participation in matters of public interest.
“As the country prepares for the presidential elections in July 2024, These forced disappearances could have a deterrent effect and hinder the population’s right to vote freely.“, they warned.
The main victims of forced disappearances would be members of the main opposition political party, Vente Venezuela, headed by opposition leader María Corina Machado, and the military.
a pattern
So far this year, state security forces have arbitrarily detained seven members of Machado’s campaign team, among them two leaders of their political party, Dignora Hernández and Henry Alviárez, who have been kept isolated from their families and lawyers for more than 40 days, according to complaints from their defense.
Due to the alleged conspiracy plots that Chavismo’s prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, has denounced, the activist and human rights defender, Rocío San Miguel, has also been imprisoned; and the journalist and social activist, Carlos Julio Rojas.
The most recent detections were carried out on April 27 and 28, when officials from the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detained two coordinators of María Corina Machado’s campaign command and a sympathizer, after the massive political rally she held. the opposition in the rural area of Turén, in the state of Portuguesa (central west), a former Chavista stronghold.
“These prolonged and incommunicado detentions are equivalent to forced disappearances. They seem to follow a pattern according to which people are deprived of liberty by state authorities.taken to recognized detention centers and there deprived of their fundamental rights such as contact with the outside world and access to legal assistance,” the experts noted.
UN: “It constitutes a forced disappearance”
The Chavista prosecutor has rejected the complaints of forced disappearance after the latest arbitrary imprisonments of citizens and political leaders who, in his opinion, seek “muddy Venezuelan democracy”.
“I find it disgusting that every time the Venezuelan State acts, the international media that seem like public facades of conspiratorial plans bring up the figure of forced disappearance,” he said recently in one of his press conferences.
To try to silence the complaints of forced disappearances, which constitute a crime against humanity contained in the Rome Statute, the regime official has clarified on repeated occasions that the detainees have been presented, following an arrest warrant, within “the legal periods.” corresponding and in strict adherence to respect for human rights and constitutional guarantees.”
“Depriving a person of their liberty, followed by a refusal to acknowledge their detention, or concealing their fate or whereabouts, places them outside the protection of the law. This constitutes a forced disappearance, regardless of the duration of said deprivation of liberty or concealment”, maintained, however, the Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances.
The experts highlighted that the crime of forced disappearance also leads to the violation of multiple human rights. Among them, the right to recognition of legal personality, the right to freedom and security, and the right not to be subjected to acts of torture.
Call to the regime
Baldé, Baranowska and Delgadillo Pérez highlighted that forced disappearances also violate the fundamental rights of relatives of missing personswho are the ones who “carry the burden of searching for their loved ones in detention centers, where they are not only systematically denied information about their fate or whereabouts, but are also exposed to the risk of reprisals.”
They stressed that the State has the obligation to “seek and reveal the truth about missing persons.” “Impunity for these crimes undermines confidence in the rule of law and in institutions, and perpetuates a climate of fear and insecurity in society,” they pointed out.
In this sense, they urged the Venezuelan regime to “prevent, eradicate and prosecute” any act of forced disappearance, to provide information on the fate of incommunicado detainees and to offer “all legal guarantees”, including the right to have the assistance of private lawyers, to receive visits and to appear before a competent court to determine the legality of his arrest.
“It is crucial that accurate information about people deprived of liberty be guaranteed without delay to anyone who has a legitimate interest, such as their family members and legal representatives of their choice,” they stressed.
The experts assured that the Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances remains in communication with the Chavista regime, to which it has expressed its availability to “provide cooperation and technical assistance, with a view to guaranteeing that the human rights of people are respected.” deprived of liberty and their families.”
Furthermore, they insisted that “any case of forced disappearance be investigated in accordance with international human rights law.”
Source: With information from Inforbae and social networks
