In a new report, Michelle Bachelet explained that the system of abuse and torture is still in force in Venezuela.

Michelle bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, detailed in a new report which the system of abuse and torture applied by the regime of Nicolás Maduro to the population but, above all, to the opposition, dissent is still in force in Venezuela.

“Office Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continued to receive credible reports of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. He received reports of beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence and threats of rape. OHCHR is not aware of any action taken by the National Commission for the Prevention of Torture between June 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, part of the report released Thursday read.

OHCHR has documented new cases in which people have been victims of enforced disappearances, during which they have been held incommunicado and the authorities refused to share his whereabouts with his defenders or relatives. “These practices expose detainees to a greater risk of ill-treatment,” the agency said.

In addition, they have also received reports of sexual violence against women in pre-trial detention, claiming that most facilities are not adapted to meet gender standards and that detainees are often supervised by men. “On March 13, a Barinas state police officer killed a woman in custody after she allegedly refused to engage in sexual acts. OHCHR welcomes the accusation against the police officer who allegedly shot the victim and calls on the prosecution to fully investigate the allegations of sexual violence made by other female detainees and to prosecute the police officers allegedly involved .

The report also warns that the fate of several people is unknown, including Lieutenant-Colonel Juan Antonio Hurtado Campos, detained since September 2018, and Hugo Enrique Marino Salas, detained since April 2019.

OHCHR denounced the systematic violation of the rights of the accused to liberty, to a trial without undue delay, to a fair trial and to legal aid.at. The report documents at least 12 cases in which people were detained without an arrest warrant being presented and in the absence of flagrante delicto.

To all the above is added the routine and abusive use of preventive detention, without also considering alternative measures to detention, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic where the Caribbean country has a deficient health system and with the majority of its population. living in extreme poverty.

“The dynamics and practices observed by OHCHR in previous reports continue to give rise to concern. After reporting cases of torture or ill-treatment to the courts, the detainees were returned to the custody of those responsible for the reported ill-treatment. In some cases, the alleged perpetrators have been called upon to testify against the victims in the context of the criminal proceedings against them. OHCHR continued to receive complaints in these cases, without judges or prosecutors taking preventive measures to protect alleged victims or address due process issues.The report says.

For example, a man detained by the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence reported to a judge that he had been tortured and forced to confess. The victim was informed that three members of his family, also detained, would be released if he cooperated with the investigation. During this time, the detainee remains in the custody of his torturers, without being granted any precautionary measures.

The report also denounces the precarious situation in detention centers where detainees are malnourished and have restrictions on receiving visits from their relatives. In addition, OHCHR is concerned about the deaths in custody, including due to the high incidence of tuberculosis, malnutrition and other illnesses among those deprived of their liberty.

Regarding the upcoming regional elections to be held in Venezuela in November, OHCHR reveals that the regime is encouraging its people to vote both before the electoral process and during its unfolding. According to the complaint, “public authorities at national and local levels have made statements promising social benefits or threatening to revoke voters’ access to social assistance, including food baskets and cash subsidies. It was reported that employees of companies and state institutions were also threatened with dismissal if they did not vote ”.

Guaido noted that regional and municipal elections “are not a solution” to the “conflict” in Venezuela, but “a strategy of dictatorship”.

In a statement shared by his team, Guaidó indicated that “the dictatorship” organizes regional elections to divide the democratic alternative.

“Regional elections are not the solution to the crisis. This is a false dilemma, we are fighting for conditions. We understand that regional elections are not a solution to our conflict, we need presidential elections, ”he criticized.

More, he insisted on not recognizing the National Electoral Council (CNE), which, in its terms, is “protected by dictatorship”. “They can’t even call a presidential election because it obeys the dictatorship,” he said.

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