This gives you access to previous Issues.
1st July 2024
Dear Colleagues,
The focus now is increasingly on the Presidential election due in Venezuela on 28 July.
At its recent meeting the G7 called for the election to be free and fair. The
Maduro regime dismissed this call as interference.
Meanwhile, the united opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is still campaigning and has given an interview to the Caracas Chronicle.
But the Maduro regime has recently arrested four opposition campaigners and one journalist.
It has also refused to have E.U. election observers. Although a recent report
shows that the UN and the Carter Centre will undertake a limited exercise in
observing the election.
Time will tell whether this happens.
Overall, much hangs in the balance as to whether the people of Venezuela will have a free and fair choice on 28 July.
Best regards,
John
Dr John Hughes
Convener
1. Edmundo González Urrutia: We Have Teams Working On Transitional Justice - (Caracas Chronicles)
2. G7 insists Venezuela should hold free and fair elections - (MercoPress)
3. VENEZUELA: More arrests as gov’t tries to stall opposition momentum - (latinnews)
4. VENEZUELA: UN and Carter Center to provide limited electoral scrutiny - (latinnews)
6th June 2024
Dear colleague,
This is a special edition of our newsletter.
Recently Canning House hosted a roundtable discussion chaired by Jeremy Browne. The guests were Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organisation of American States and Tamara Suju, Director of the CASLA Institute in Madrid. Our Brave Group played a role in making this happen and Jeremy Browne kindly thanked us for helping to make the meeting a success.
Both Luis Almagro and Tamara Suju spoke on the record although the discussion thereafter was not.
I attach shortened versions of the points made by the speakers.
You will also see that we have provided a link to the recently published CASLA Annual Report 2023-2024. This shows in great detail the extent of human rights abuses in Venezuela.
Best regards,
John
Dr John Hughes
Convener
Tamara Suju, Director CASLA Institute, Madrid.
Our latest annual report about crimes against humanity in Venezuela 2023- 24 shows the continuing systematic and generalised repression of Venezuelan civilians and military by the Venezuelan state. There have been tens of new detainees, some of whom were tortured including political leaders, trade unionists, directors and members of NGOs. And the state has also persecuted Venezuelans in exile. We have also shown that the Head of State has personally led this repression since 2015.
Leaders of political parties have been persecuted and thrown into prison and the Head of State has led a campaign called “Bolivarian fury” against the political opposition and those who protest. This is designed to limit the possibility that people can organise themselves politically during an election year.
Many of those detained have disappeared for days before gaining access to a court and even then have not been able to be represented by private lawyers because the state will only allow lawyers paid for by the state.
There have been many examples of torture using electricity, beatings, pulling out of finger nails, foot nails, teeth and sexual violations. And psychological torture, Russian roulette and simulated executions. We also know of two attempted suicides by people who had suffered torture and of four occasions when Cuban officials participated as torturers.
The Cuban regime has been involved in aiding and participating in the ongoing repression and torture of Venezuelans. CASLA has discovered 8 secret agreements between Venezuela and Cuba signed on 26 May 2008 including 3 which specifically relate to intelligence and counter intelligence.
The CASLA institute knows that all this horror has been planned and executed by the intelligence and security apparatus of the state and with the aid of the judiciary. Nicolas Maduro is in charge of these organs of state and personally directs the military counter intelligence organisation and the special units of the Bolivarian Service of National Intelligence. And it is these two latter organisations there have led the planning and execution of torture against civilians and the military with the consent and knowledge of the President, the Vice President ,the upper echelons of the Armed Forces ,and the Judiciary.
Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organisation of American States.
Problems of Latin America
Dictatorships are the worst, and nowhere is worse than Nicaragua. The situation in Venezuela is in between that and democratic countries in Latin America. Even so, it is not so easy to attack Venezuela because many more countries have interests in Venezuela than in Nicaragua.
One of the great problems of Latin America is that in dictatorships and authoritarian countries there is no guarantee of the rule of law. This impinges directly on the human rights situation in many countries including Venezuela. There is little doubt that the human rights record of states in Latin America has gone backwards.
But it’s not just repressive governments that have caused such human rights problems that we see today. Organised crime gangs violate human rights on a regular basis and many massacres have been perpetrated by such gangs. The actions of both governments and gangs have made Latin America the most dangerous region in the world for journalists.
More democratic countries in Latin America are calling out human rights violations wherever they occur. One example is the response of both Brazil and Argentina to Maduro’s actions in persecuting members of the political opposition in Venezuela.
There is an urgent need to rebuild and strengthen democratic institutions in Latin America. And for governments to improve delivery of services promised in raising taxation. Inequality and poverty statistics show there is much work to be done.
1. Link to recently published CASLA Annual Report2023-2024:
5th May 2024
Dear colleague,
There is growing evidence of repression and the targeting of the political opposition by the Maduro regime. This includes enforced disappearances . A really worrying development as Venezuela moves towards a Presidential election on 28 July.
Please see below for access to publications.
Best regards,
John
Dr John Hughes
Convener
1. Amnesty International
2. UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner
28th of March 2024
BRaVE Group for Venezuela: Human Rights Update
Dear colleague,
The really important news is the International Criminal Court has rejected an appeal by the Maduro regime and the ICC will continue its' investigation into crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
Both the EU and the UK have in different ways issued formal statements criticising the activities of the regime.
And despite some confusion it looks as though the main opposition group in Venezuela has secured a place on the ballot for the forthcoming Presidential elections due in July
Please see below for links to publications.
Best regards,
John
Dr John Hughes
Convener
1. Statement by Joseph Borrell
2. UK Statement at UN Human Rights Council 55
Read here
3. Latin News 27th March
1st of March 2024
BRaVE Group for Venezuela: Human Rights Update
Dear colleague,
A Critical Time
Repression of human rights in Venezuela is increasing.
A leading human rights activist Rocio San Miguel has been detained arbitrarily.
Those who have spoken out against such measures, such as the UN Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Caracas has been closed down
(see issue 32) and Latin News (below).
The Inter American Commission on Human Rights (autonomous body of the
Organisation of American States) has roundly condemned the politically
motivated disqualification of opposition leaders from holding public office
including Maria Corina Machado who won the opposition primary.
Some 25 representatives of civil society and NGO’s including Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the escalating
repression in Venezuela.
The situation is now so serious that 170 legislators from 15 countries have
asked the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to speed up his
investigation of crimes against humanity by the Nicolas Maduro regime in
Venezuela.
Please see below for links to publications.
Best regards,
John
Dr John Hughes
Convener
1. Latin News
Read here
2. Inter American Commission on Human Rights
Read here
3. Amnesty International
Read here
19th February 2024
We would like to draw to your attention the most recent report on the human rights situation in Venezuela published by Human Rights Watch.
Links to publications below.
1. Human Rights Watch World Report 2024 article
Read here
16 February 2024
Here are some links to publications.
1. UN Office in Venezuela criticises Venezuelan government.
Read here
2. VENEZUELA: UN human rights office closed down
Read here
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BRaVE Group Board
Peter Collecott
Frank Coll
Cristina Cortes
John Hughes
Brian McBeth
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