IACHR demands that Maduro protect the life rights of members of the Penal Forum

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted a new resolution on November 28 in which it demanded that the government of Nicolás Maduro protect the rights to life and personal integrity of members of the NGO Foro Penal who consider themselves to be at risk. It also expanded protection measures for 10 other members of the organization.

Through the Resolution of Follow-up, Modification, Expansion and Lifting 92/2024the IACHR decided to maintain the precautionary measures in favor of Alfredo Romero, Gonzalo Himiob Santomé, Luis Betancourt and Olnar Ortiz, some of the main members of the NGO dedicated to the defense of political prisoners in Venezuela.

Likewise, the commission extended the protection measures to the following members of the Penal Forum: Kennedy Tejeda, Mayela Fonseca, Lucía Quintero, Pedro Arévalo, Arelys Ayala, Wiecza Santos Matiz, Laura Valbuena, Raquel Sánchez Carrero, Franyer José Hernández Valladares and Marbella Gutiérrez .

The IACHR asked the Venezuelan State to “adopt the necessary measures to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of the members of the Penal Forum duly identified in this resolution.”

Precautionary measures of the IACHR for members of the Penal Forum

The Commission noted that the beneficiaries have faced intimidation and harassment from state agentsholding them for long periods, threatening them with arrest or opening proceedings against them for documenting the events, which leaves the members of the Penal Forum in a situation of lack of protection in the context of the country.

«With respect to all beneficiaries, it is requested that they formally report the existence of any investigation process against them, including at least the facts that are being investigated, the crimes that they are accused of, the prosecutor’s office in charge of the investigation and the competent judicial authority that is aware of the investigation,” indicated the IACHR.

The resolution added: “The State must allow the beneficiaries and/or their representatives to access the entirety of the criminal file against them, if it exists, allowing them to present the corresponding appeals and guaranteeing their security in the processing of the same.” ».

The main and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) also demanded that “report be made on the actions taken in order to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of this precautionary measure and thus avoid its repetition.”

“The granting of the precautionary measure and its adoption by the State do not constitute a prejudgment of a possible petition before the inter-American system in which violations of the rights protected in the American Convention and other applicable instruments are alleged,” the IACHR concluded.

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