Enforced disappearances in Venezuela

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Enforced disappearances in Venezuela have been characterized by being of short duration, occurring mainly during the administration of Nicolás Maduro. In 2018, there were at least 200 cases of enforced disappearances, and in 2019 at least 524 cases, with an average duration of five days. According to Foro Penal and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the short duration of the disappearances have been intended to avoid the scrutiny that could come with large-scale and long-term detentions. A 2019 report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that enforced disappearances had been used In Venezuela as a method by the government to censor opponents and instill fear. The Venezuelan constitution prohibits enforced disappearance, even in states of emergency.

In some cases, missing persons have died in custody shortly after their detentions. For example, in 2018 no information was provided about the place of confinement or reasons for the arrest of opposition councilman Fernando Albán until after his death in custody, three days after his arrest, and in 2019 corvette captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo died in a military hospital, with visible signs of torture, after having been missing.

Although in most cases the disappearances have been of short duration, there are cases of disappearances in Venezuela that have been ongoing for years. The whereabouts of diver Hugo Marino and activist Alcedo Mora [es], who have been missing for more than four and eight years respectively, are currently unknown. Although their detention by security forces is suspected, by 2023 neither the detention nor the place of confinement of any of them had been confirmed.

Definition[edit]

Under international law, an enforced disappearance is defined as a detention of two days or more which, unlike an ordinary detention, includes the denial by the State of any information on the whereabouts of a person.[1]

Article 45 of the Venezuelan Constitution prohibits "the public authority, whether civil or military, even in a state of emergency, exception or restriction of guarantees, from practicing, permitting or tolerating the enforced disappearance of persons".[2]

History[edit]

1989[edit]

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights asked the Venezuelan State to conduct an investigation to locate Abelardo Antonio Pérez, Andrés Eloy Suárez Sánchez, José Miguel Liscano Betancourt, Juan Acasio Mena Bello, and Jesús Rafael Villalobos, considered to be disappeared persons during the Caracazo.[3][non-primary source needed]

2004[edit]

During the 2004 Venezuelan protests, the enforced disappearance of at least seven demonstrators was denounced.[4]

2015[edit]

Social leader Alcedo Mora disappeared on 27 February 2015 after denouncing fuel smuggling to Colombia by members of the Mérida state government and Petróleos de Venezuela officials.[5] In early March, the Eliécer and Jesús Vergel brothers, close to Mora, also disappeared, reportedly detained by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN).[2]

2017[edit]

Journalist Jesús Medina Ezaine was detained in October 2017 along with journalists Roberto di Matteo (from Italy) and Filippo Rossi (from Switzerland), while reporting on at the Aragua Penitentiary Center, also known as Tocorón.[6][7] He was reported missing while in custody.[7] Jesus was later found in November on a Caracas highway, declaring that he had been tortured and threatened to be killed by his captors.[8]

2018[edit]

The wife of military officer Igbert Marín Chaparro denounced that he was held incommunicado during the first days of his detention, after having been arrested on 2 March 2018, along with eight other officers, and having been the victim of torture by military officials.[9][10][11]

Opposition councilman Fernando Albán was arrested on Oct. 5, 2018, at Simón Bolívar International Airport as he was returning to the country after forming part of an opposition delegation that attended the United Nations.[12][13] No reasons were given for his arrest and no details were provided as to where he was being held until after his death three days later, on 8 October.[14]

2019[edit]

Journalist Luis Carlos Díaz went missing for nine hours after being detained on 11 March 2019, after contact with him was lost while at work at Unión Radio station in Caracas.[15][16] Bolivarian Intelligence Service agents raided and robbed his home in Caracas.[17][18] Luis Carlos was released the following day, ordered to report to court every eight days and was forbidden to leave the country and to make statements to the media about his case.[19]

Popular Will deputy Gilber Caro also missing went missing for weeks on several occasions. Caro was arrested on 11 January 2017 and a second time on 26 April 2019. During his detention his whereabouts were unknown, which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights requested to know on 3 May. Caro was released after two months of disappearance. The deputy was detained a third time on 20 December 2019 along with his assistant, journalist Víctor Ugas. By 26 December, the place of confinement of both was unknown, and on the same day the Venezuelan National Assembly demanded that it be made public. On 10 January 2020 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights declared that the detention was the second time that the deputy's whereabouts were unknown. Gilber Caro's lawyer reported finally being able to see and talk to him on 20 January, after a month of disappearance.[20]

On 20 April 2019 the enforced disappearance of diver Hugo Marino happened, reportedly carried out by the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence. After four years of this disappearance, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) demanded that investigations advance.[21] According to the OHCHR report, enforced disappearance has been used In Venezuela as a method by the government to censor opponents and instill fear.[1]

On 22 June 2019, the wife of corvette captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo denounced his disappearance and stated that she had spoken to him for the last time at 2:00 p.m. the previous day, while he was in a "personal meeting" in Guatire, Miranda state. That day, of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and Bolivarian Intelligence Service officers arrested seven people, including active and retired military and police officers. On 26 June, after six days without knowing his whereabouts, the arrest of Acosta Arevalo was announced by the Minister of Communication and Information, Jorge Rodríguez, who accused three of them, including Acosta Arevalo, of preparing a coup d'état.[22][23] Acosta Arevalo died three days later, on 29 June, after appearing at his arraignment in a wheelchair and with severe signs of torture, including many bruises on his arms, poor hand sensitivity, extreme swelling in his feet, traces of blood under his fingernails, and injuries to his torso. Acosta Arévalo was also unable to move his hands or feet, stand up or speak, with the exception of accepting the appointment of his defense attorney and calling for help from his lawyer.[24] The judge ordered that Acosta Arévalo be transferred to the Army Military Hospital Dr. Vicente Salias Sanoja, located in Fort Tiuna in Caracas.[25][26][27] Acosta Arévalo died that night in the military hospital.[28][29]

A report produced between the non-governmental organizations Foro Penal and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights documented 200 cases of enforced disappearances in Venezuela in 2018 and 524 cases in 2019, a larger number attributed to an increase in protests in the country. The analysis concluded that the average disappearance lasted five days, suggesting that the government wished to avoid the scrutiny that could come with large-scale and long-term detentions.[1][30]

2020[edit]

Venezuela's National Assembly reported on 21 January 2020 that family, friends and colleagues of deputy Ismael León lost contact with him shortly after he left the headquarters of the Democratic Action party on his way to the legislative session.[31] After two days of detention, without knowing his whereabouts, León was released with precautionary measures.[32]

Journalist Roland Carreño was arrested on 27 October after being intercepted by unmarked black vehicles. His whereabouts were unknown for more than 24 hours. Different human rights organizations qualified his detention as an enforced disappearance, including Foro Penal, and the Juan Guaidó's administration held Nicolás Maduro responsible for any aggression against Carreño and his companions.[33] Maduro's administration confirmed Carreño's arrest the following day.[34]

2023[edit]

On 7 December 2023, the non-governmental organization Súmate denounced that the place of detention of its president, Roberto Abdul, was unknown after he was arrested the day before, in violation of the Venezuelan Constitutio.[35][36] The NGO Foro Penal described Roberto's detention as a forced disappearance.[37]

2024[edit]

See also: Detention of Rocío San Miguel

On 9 February 2024 Rocío San Miguel was detained by Venezuelan security officials,[38][39] at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, along with her daughter. The same day her father, her two brothers and another relative also were arrested.[39][40][41] After being held incommunicado for ten days and without her whereabouts being known, her daughter was able to visit her in El Helicoide.[42][43] Human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, PROVEA and the Women's Broad Front, have rejected the detention, described it as a enforced disappearance and asking for her immediate release.[44]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Turkewitz, Julie; Kurmanaev, Anatoly (2020-06-19). "A Knock, Then Gone: Venezuela Secretly Detains Hundreds to Silence Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-20. Using international law as a guide, the groups defined forced disappearance as a detention lasting two days or more that, unlike an ordinary arrest, included state denial of any information about a person's whereabouts.
  2. ^ a b ULADDHH (2022-02-27). "Alcedo Mora y los hermanos Vergel: siete años de sus desapariciones forzadas". Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Los Andes (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  3. ^ El Caracazo Case, Judgment of 11 November 1999, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, accessed 1 May 2007 "[C]onduct an exhaustive investigation to locate Abelardo Antonio Pérez, Andrés Eloy Suárez Sánchez, José Miguel Liscano Betancourt, Juan Acasio Mena Bello, and Jesús Rafael Villalobos, who to date are considered to be disappeared persons."
  4. ^ "Ataques a los medios de comunicación y demás violaciones a los DD.HH. de los venezolanos". urru.org. 2004-05-13. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  5. ^ "La historia de Alcedo Mora, desaparecido por denunciar corrupción". LaClase.info (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  6. ^ "Italian, Swiss journalists among 3 detained in Venezuela". NBC News. 2017-10-08. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Venezuelan photographer goes missing following threats". CPJ. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Venezuela: Free Freelance Photojournalist". Human Rights Watch. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Teniente coronel Marín Chaparro, otro preso político de la narcotiranía terrorista de Maduro". Venezuela Red Informativa. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Exclusiva PDC - Al comandante Marín Chaparro lo detienen y lo torturan después de reclamar la crisis en los cuarteles. Por Sebastiana Barráez". Punto de Corte. 2019-06-22. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  11. ^ "Esposa De Comandante Marín Chaparro Pide Constancia De Fe De Vida". Reporte Confidencial. 2019-06-03. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  12. ^ "Así titularon medios internacionales la muerte de Fernando Albán". El Nacional. 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  13. ^ "Las reacciones por la muerte del concejal venezolano, Fernando Albán". El Espectador. El Mundo. 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  14. ^ Caracas, Stephen Gibbs. "Maduro critic Fernando Albán falls to death from 10th floor". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  15. ^ "La Inteligencia venezolana detiene al periodista español Luis Carlos Díaz". El Español (in Spanish). 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  16. ^ "Desaparecido Luis Carlos Díaz, periodista y activista. #DóndeEstáLuisCarlos". VESinFiltro. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  17. ^ "Detenido en Caracas el periodista hispanovenezolano Luis Carlos Díaz". europapress.es. Europa Press. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  18. ^ "Naky Soto denuncia allanamiento a su residencia en la madrugada de este #12Mar". El Pitazo. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  19. ^ "Liberan al periodista hispanovenezolano Luis Carlos Díaz, aunque queda mudo en el país". elmundo.es. El Mundo. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  20. ^ F, Laura Aguerrevere. "Cronología del caso de Gilber Caro". Acceso a la Justicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  21. ^ Ramos @Wincarlysramos, Wincarlys (2023-07-07). "ONU exige avances en la investigación del caso de Hugo Marino". Crónica Uno (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  22. ^ "Agentes de la inteligencia de Maduro mataron a golpes al capitán Acosta". ABC. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  23. ^ "Muerte del capitán de corbeta Rafael Acosta Arévalo reaviva crisis política". Supuesto Negado. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  24. ^ Bocaranda, Nelson (2019-06-30). "¿Acaso un segundo Albán? ¿Torturas en Dgcim provocaron la muerte al C.C. Acosta Arévalo? por Nelson Bocaranda". Runrunes. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  25. ^ "Periodista Eligio Rojas publicó supuesto extracto de autopsia de Acosta Arévalo" [Journalist Eligio Rojas published supposed autopsy extract of Acosta Arévalo]. Noticiero Digital (in Spanish). 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  26. ^ "Rafael Acosta Arévalo: fiscalía pide el arresto de dos oficiales por muerte del capitán acusado de conspirar contra Maduro" [Rafael Acosta Arévalo: Prosecutors request the arrest of two officers for the death of the captain accused of conspiring against Maduro] (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  27. ^ "Rocío San Miguel detalla las implicaciones del asesinato de Rafael Acosta" [Rocío San Miguel details the implications of the murder of Rafael Acosta]. Venezuela Al Día (in Spanish). 29 June 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  28. ^ Bocaranda, Nelson (30 June 2019). "¿Acaso un segundo Albán? ¿Torturas en Dgcim provocaron la muerte al C.C. Acosta Arévalo?" [Maybe a second Albán? Torture in DGCIM caused death to C.C. Acosta Arévalo?]. Runrunes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  29. ^ Sequera, Vivian; Ellsworth, Brian (30 June 2019). "Venezuela confirms death of detained officer, his wife says he was tortured". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  30. ^ Foro Penal (23 January 2020). "Reporte Sobre La Represión En Venezuela. Año 2019" (in Spanish): 13. Retrieved 2020-02-01. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  31. ^ "Venezuela: la Asamblea Nacional denuncia la desaparición de un diputado opositor". La Nación. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  32. ^ "Diputado venezolano Ismael León es excarcelado con medidas cautelares". CNN (in Spanish). 2020-01-23. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  33. ^ "Foro Penal desconoce paradero del periodista Roland Carreño". El Pitazo. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  34. ^ "Gobierno de Venezuela confirma detención de Roland Carreño". Deutsche Welle. 2020-10-28.
  35. ^ Singer, Florantonia (2023-12-07). "El chavismo usa el conflicto con Guyana para acusar al equipo de María Corina Machado de conspiración". El País. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  36. ^ "A 48 horas de su detención se desconoce paradero de Roberto Abdul". Runrunes. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  37. ^ "Roberto Abdul sería presentado en las próximas horas ante un tribunal pero su familia ni abogados han podido verlo". NTN24. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  38. ^ "Denuncian detención de la defensora de DD HH Rocío San Miguel". El Nacional. 10 February 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Conocida activista contra el régimen de Maduro fue detenida por supuesta "conspiración de magnicidio"". El País (in Spanish). 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  40. ^ Zuzunaga Ruiz, Roger (2024-02-13). "¿Quién es Rocío San Miguel, la experta en temas militares acusada de "traición a la patria" y "terrorismo" en Venezuela?". El Comercio (in Spanish). ISSN 1605-3052. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  41. ^ Moleiro, Alonso (2024-02-12). "La detención de varios familiares de la activista Rocío San Miguel aumenta la tensión en Venezuela". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  42. ^ "Rocío San Miguel en El Helicoide, la siniestra cárcel chavista, "fortalecida y convencida de su inocencia"". El Mundo. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  43. ^ Brazón, Ana María Rodríguez (2024-02-19). "Venezuela: Rocío San Miguel recibe visita de su hija luego de 10 días de aislamiento". El Tiempo. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  44. ^ "Conocida activista contra el régimen de Maduro fue detenida por supuesta "conspiración de magnicidio"". El País (in Spanish). 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-12.

Further reading[edit]

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