The annual report presented this Tuesday by the NGO Venezuelan Human Rights Action Education Program reveals alarming figures of violations of personal integrity in Venezuela between 2013 and 2023, under the regime of Nicolás Maduro. According to the data, a total of 43,003 victims of violations of personal integrity were registered, including 1,652 cases of torture.
Lissette González, research coordinator at Provea, highlighted that the number of victims of torture has been increasing, with a total of 7,309 victims of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment in the same period, published Efe.
González attributed this increase mainly to the deplorable conditions in Venezuelan prisons, where the inmate population faces overcrowding, lack of water and food.
In 2023, the organization registered 53 victims of torture, of which three died as a result of the damage caused.
For the first time in Provea records, the majority of torture victims were poor women deprived of liberty, allegedly at the hands of officials of the Immediate Response Group of Penitentiary Custodians.
The report also denounces the “irregular” functioning of the justice administration system in Venezuela and the control exercised by the Executive, which guarantees impunity for most crimes and human rights violations.
This impunity, the organization stated, creates an environment conducive to abuses that are not punished.
Provea called on the Venezuelan State to allow representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to enter prison facilities, in order to verify the conditions of confinement of people deprived of liberty, especially those detained for political reasons.
Human rights violations “have intensified” in Venezuela
The Venezuelan Penal Forum, for its part, warned about an increase in repression and human rights violations in the country, especially directed at people persecuted for political reasons.
Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of the NGO, highlighted during a press conference the significant intensification in the persecution of activists and political militants not related to the government of Nicolás Maduro, noted the Efe news agency.
According to the data provided, there are currently 273 prisoners for political reasons in Venezuela, three more than last week. Of this total, 147 are military and 126 are civilians, of which 253 are men and 20 women.
The lawyer expressed concern about the prolonged period of preventive detention that many of these detainees face, exceeding the maximum period allowed by Venezuelan legislation.
He also denounced serious violations of due process, including the denial of family access to detainees and the imposition of public defenders instead of allowing detainees to choose trusted lawyers. This situation, according to Himiob, can be considered a forced disappearance, since information about the location of the detainees is denied and they are prevented from any contact with the outside world.
In addition, he criticized the lack of identification of the officials in charge of the arrests, which generates confusion and fear in the arrested people. These practices, which go against Venezuelan law and international treaties, have been systematized in recent months, according to the director of the Penal Forum.
Given this situation, he urged the Venezuelan government to respect human rights and guarantee due process for all detained people, regardless of their political beliefs.
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