Covering events from January - December 2001
VENEZUELA
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Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela Head of state and government: Hugo Chávez Frías Capital: Caracas Population: 24.6 million Official language: Spanish Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes |
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At least 240 people were killed by police in circumstances suggesting they were victims of extrajudicial execution or excessive use of force. Allegations of torture and ill-treatment continued. Five people were reported to have ''disappeared''. Conditions in many prisons remained inhumane, and violence among inmates continued to claim many lives. There were threats to freedom of expression.
Background
Official and public concern about rising levels
of violent crime continued to generate
widespread debate, including calls within
government circles for the imposition of a state
of emergency. Human rights organizations
identified the primary causes as the
government's failure to address human rights
violations, tackle widespread impunity and
corruption, and deal with the country's deep-seated
social and economic problems. There were serious
institutional weaknesses in structures charged
with safeguarding human rights, such as the
judicial system, in which numerous dismissed
judges had not been replaced. In August, the
National Assembly approved a law on refugees and
asylum-seekers. In December a one-day national
strike was called in response to a series of
controversial economic measures passed by
presidential decree in the previous month.
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Killings by police
Deaths in circumstances suggesting extrajudicial
execution or the excessive use of force
increased steeply in a number of states. In
September, the Office of the Attorney General
sent the National Guard to take over police
stations in the state of Portuguesa following
persistent allegations that a so-called ''extermination
group'' was operating inside the state police
force. Between September 2000 and May 2001,
investigations had been opened into the deaths
of 100 people reported to have been killed by
the police. By the end of the year, a number of
police officers were under investigation. In
October, the Attorney General announced the
appointment of a national attorney to look at
complaints of killings by members of the
security forces in eight states. Also in October,
the Ombudsman produced a preliminary report into
239 complaints of killings by police in several
states. According to the Ombudsman, operations
by the security forces generally appeared to
follow a similar pattern, including the
simulation of armed confrontations, illegal
raids and death threats to witnesses and
relatives. Human rights defenders who publicly
denounced killings by the police in the states
of Portuguesa and Bolívar were threatened.
In February, 17-year-old Argenis Antonio González died after officers of the Metropolitan Police arrived at his workplace and opened fire indiscriminately. The police reportedly planted a weapon next to his body.
Torture and ill-treatment
There were continuing reports of torture and ill-treatment
by members of the security forces. There was
concern that police officers continued to abuse
their power with impunity as the vast majority
of cases failed to make any progress in the
courts.
Silvano Castro, and one other, both members of the Pemón indigenous group who were campaigning against the construction of an electricity supply network in the Gran Sabana region, were beaten by soldiers in March during a protest held by the group. The incident was part of a pattern of harassment and intimidation against the Pemón.
'Disappearances'
Five new cases of ''disappearance'' were
reported. Orlando José Castillo ''disappeared''
after he was detained by police officers on 20
January in the state of Yaracuy. In October it
was announced that 10 police officers were under
investigation in connection with the case.
Impunity
In October, plaintiffs for four people who ''disappeared''
after being detained in Vargas state in December
1999 rejected a proposal by the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights to facilitate a
friendly settlement between the interested
parties and asked for the normal process to
continue. They expressed concern that the
government was not acting with due speed, and
stated that the state's continuing failure to
address the problem of impunity had
significantly contributed to the deteriorating
human rights situation.
Prison conditions
Conditions in prisons continued to be extremely
harsh. Although numbers were lower than in
previous years, scores of prisoners were killed,
mostly as a result of violence by fellow inmates.
In June, inmates of El Rodeo Prison and their
relatives staged a protest that included a
demand for an investigation into ill-treatment
by prison guards. The government acknowledged
once again the crisis in the prison system and
in August announced it was launching an
emergency repair program to modernize the
country's prisons.
Refugees
Colombians fleeing political violence continued
to face difficulties in Venezuela despite the
introduction in August of new legislation
establishing the right to seek asylum and
protecting the rights of refugees. In August,
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees opened an
office in San Cristóbal near the border with
Colombia. Its representatives expressed concern
in November about the number of people awaiting
a decision on their application for refugee
status.