Amnesty International published its report “Detentions without a trace: The crime of enforced disappearance in Venezuela,” in which it analyzes the situation of 15 people who have been or are missing since the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, and concluded that crimes against humanity continue to be committed in the country as part of the policy of repression against real or perceived dissent. The cases concern Alfredo Díaz, Andrés Martínez (Spanish), Damián Rojas, Danner Barajas (Colombian), Dennis Lepaje, Eduardo Torres, Eudi Andrade, Fabián Buglione (Uruguayan), Jorgen Guanares, Jose María Basoa (Spanish), Lucas Hunter (French-American), Raymar Pérez, Rory Branker, Rosa Chirinos, and Yevhenii Petrovich Trush (Ukrainian).
The organization noted that in the week following the elections, authorities acknowledged the detention of 2,229 people, with “virtually all of these detentions being arbitrary and politically motivated.” It stated that “this increase in politically motivated arbitrary detentions was accompanied by a similar spike in enforced disappearances,” which was supported by stigmatizing and accusatory statements from high-ranking officials against opponents, human rights defenders, protesters, journalists, and other sectors of civil society.
Amnesty reported that the government’s strategies to repress expressions in favor of political change after the 2024 elections followed a recurring pattern: people were unlawfully deprived of their liberty, and in many cases immediately held incommunicado; their detention was denied or their fate and whereabouts were concealed; and they were deprived of basic procedural guarantees, such as the right to a fair trial, the right to a defense, the right to be heard by an impartial judge, and the right to know the charges or evidence against, and ultimately, accused of vague crimes such as “terrorism,” punishing them for being dissidents.
In cases involving the detention of citizens of other countries, Amnesty International reported that the “detention would have been motivated by the nationality of the victims.” This practice is being used by Nicolás Maduro’s government to justify its narratives about alleged foreign conspiracies and attacks, “but above all as a bargaining chip for negotiation purposes with third countries.” In this regard, it added that the detention of foreign citizens reflects the repressive policy and the official narrative surrounding perceived dissent, in these cases, aimed at pressuring other states.
In line with the increase in enforced disappearances as a tool of political control, the High Commissioner for Human Rights recently reported to the Human Rights Council that 28 people were victims of enforced disappearance following the presidential elections and are still missing. At least 12 are citizens of other countries who lack access to consular assistance. In his speech, he questioned the conditions of detention, “including the fact that detainees are denied healthcare and their access to food and drinking water is hindered.” He stressed that some detainees were subjected to periods of incommunicado detention for having publicly demanded improvements to their conditions. The High Commissioner raised his complaint, calling for “an immediate end to enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention, and for arrested foreign nationals to be able to receive consular assistance.”
Furthermore, in response to the increase in reports of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances in Venezuela, the organization PROVEA published a basic tool for immediate guidance for those facing or accompanying these serious situations. The document arises as a response to the need to strengthen citizen action through education in order to resist arbitrariness and promote respect for human rights in a civic space increasingly threatened by the government. This is another way of reflecting the levels of injustice and pressure Venezuelan civil society must deal with and of challenging those who may influence the de facto regime as to whether they are doing everything within their power to prevent and respond to these crimes.
The pattern of enforced disappearances as a means of sowing terror among the population has extended beyond the post-election period to become established as a state policy aimed at completely closing off democratic and civic space in Venezuela and advancing the establishment of a totalitarian state. Understanding that this crime is part of a routine practice against dissidents in the Venezuelan state is essential to grasping the scale and impact of the ongoing crimes against humanity, and once again reiterates the state’s absolute unwillingness to cease its arbitrary actions and open avenues for negotiation.
AlertaVenezuela calls on the international community to continue redoubling its efforts to monitor and protect people at risk in Venezuela and to demand accountability through international criminal justice and an end to repression, with high-level initiatives that involve and active engagement from the United Nations Secretary-General.