VENEZUELA: AMIDST DISASTER, HUNDREDS REMAIN DETAINED

Mr. Attorney General,

In the midst of the terrible impact caused by the earthquakes that hit Venezuela on June 24, the Venezuelan authorities must fully comply with their human rights obligations by releasing of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela.

I condemn the use of force against detainees held in the ‘Rodeo I’ prison in the aftermath of the earthquakes. I specifically condemn the reports that claim officers shot pellets and tear gas against detainees. These acts could constitute torture and ill treatment. Other reports of individuals who might have been forcibly disappeared are also profoundly concerning.

In recent years, Amnesty International has denounced the conditions in ‘Rodeo I’ and acts committed against individuals held there as potential acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. In addition to torture and ill treatment, it is hugely concerning that arbitrary detention in Venezuela is all too often also connected to other grave human rights violations, including enforced disappearance, like the case of Jorgen Guanares, whose fate and whereabouts have been unknown since August 2024, and of Emirlendris Benítez and Juan Carlos Marrufo, who are currently being denied adequate medical care despite suffering an urgent need for it.

I call on you to ensure the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in Venezuela. While in custody of the state, and particularly amidst the humanitarian crisis deepened by the recent earthquakes, every detainee must see their life protected, their fate and whereabouts known, and be granted adequate medical care and family visits.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]