Venezuela’s opposition denounces brutal torture suffered by servicemen detained for rebelling against Maduro regime

The Venezuelan opposition grouped together under the figure of leader Juan Guaidó denounced this Saturday the torture of soldiers detained in recent years by the regime of Nicolás Maduro and of those he considers “political prisoners”. “Our institutional officers of the Armed Forces, who are imprisoned for defending the Constitution, are tortured and subjected to the worst conditions of detention “Venezuelan opposition Julio Borges, appointed foreign relations commissioner by Guaidó, said in a message posted on Twitter.

“We call on human rights organizations to make their voices heard and to put pressure on the (Maduro) regime to guarantee the life and freedom of our soldiers,” Borges added on Twitter.

According to the local NGO Foro Penal, which defends people considered to be political prisoners in Venezuela, at least 123 soldiers remain behind bars for opposing the Maduro government.

One of them, according to the account of the Penal Forum, is Army Colonel Johnny Mejías Laya, who was arrested on January 30, 2019 without details of his case being known until now.

Relatives of the man in uniform denounced that during his detention and in state custody, he had been subjected to physical and psychological torture.

María Gabriela de Mejías, wife of the military prisoner, denounced that same day that the army is being denied the medical care and drugs it needs to treat certain illnesses. “It has been more than 8 days (since) my husband, Colonel Johnny Mejías Laya, has not received any pills sent to him because he is urinating blood,” the woman said on Twitter.

According to Borges, the Maduro government is carrying out these actions with its ally Cuba with the intention of “destroying” the Venezuelan armed forces. “This is why he persecutes and imprisons those who set an example within the institution. The world cannot afford another indignation, we demand the full freedom of all soldiers who are unjustly detained, ”he said..

According to the United Nations Special Mission to Venezuela, “Venezuelan authorities and security forces have planned and perpetrated serious human rights violations since 2014, some of which – including arbitrary executions and the systematic use of torture – constitute crimes. Against humanity ”.

“Far from being isolated acts, these crimes were coordinated and committed in accordance with state policies, with the knowledge or direct support of commanders and senior government officials.”added mission president Marta Valiñas.

The mission investigated the actions of SEBIN and the General Directorate of Military Counter-Espionage (DGCIM) – where he is being held Johnny Mejías Laya-, and documented detentions which were in effect “short-term enforced disappearances”, which included “torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including acts of sexual violence” to “obtain a confession or as punishment”.

Rancisco Cox, a member of the delegation, told reporters investigators found evidence that Maduro sometimes personally ordered the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) to monitor and detain. “We have a participation and a contribution to the crime of Maduro, either directly through the chain of command” or sometimes “by giving direct orders”, he said. “We have reasonable grounds to believe this is state policy […] to stifle the opposition, ”he said.

The mission investigated “16 cases of police, military or joint operations leading to 53 extrajudicial executions”, in addition to “2,552 additional incidents in which 5,094 deaths by security forces” between 2015 and 2017.

Officials from the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) and its Special Action Forces (FAES) told the mission that “it was common to cover up the killings by planting weapons to simulate” clashes. ” “The murders appear to be part of a policy of eliminating unwanted members of society under the guise of fighting crime,” Valiñas said.

Valiñas was clear: he said the International Criminal Court “should consider the possibility of taking legal action” against those responsible.

Last July, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet had already submitted a report denouncing “arbitrary detentions, violations of due process guarantees” and cases of “torture and enforced disappearances”.

On this occasion, the United Nations Independent International Mission of Inquiry on Venezuela investigated 223 cases, including 48 in depth, in a comprehensive 443-page report. In addition, it investigated 2,891 other cases to “corroborate patterns of violations and crimes”, such as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture.

With information from EFE

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