Venezuela: Attorney General Meets Detainees’ Relatives Over Case Review Requests

Caracas, November 15, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab held meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday with relatives of people detained in the unrest that followed the July 28 presidential elections.
Theany Urbina, mother of a detained teenager, told reports outside the Attorney General’s Office in Caracas that Saab had pledged to thoroughly review the cases and that those considered “innocent” would be promptly released.
“We hope that authorities follow through on the promises they made today,” she stated. “There were no deadlines set, we were told the processes would be fast-tracked and we believe that is going to happen.”
The Attorney General’s Office issued a statement on Friday confirming that “exhaustive investigations” that provided “new evidence” would lead to the review of 225 cases.
Violent unrest followed the July 28 vote, resulting in 27 casualties. Venezuelan officials blamed the hardline opposition for stoking the violence, which included the killing of two Socialist Party (PSUV) grassroots activists. Security forces executed hundreds of arrests in subsequent weeks, with police spokespeople reporting over 2,000 in total.
Pro-opposition NGO Foro Penal has documented 1,848 people jailed after the elections, including 69 minors. The detainees’ mothers and relatives have complained of due process violations and harsh prison conditions.
Earlier this week, Saab defended the actions of security and judicial institutions, denouncing a campaign to “stigmatize authorities” and “glorify” those responsible for the violence. The Caribbean nation’s top prosecutor claimed that there are no reports against police officers and that those jailed have their “human rights protected” in detention facilities.
“There are no detained ‘children’,” Saab affirmed in a press conference on Monday. “There are 16- and 17-year-old teenagers who have confessed to their actions. The others are adults.”
Later on Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro defended the need to administer justice but called on judicial authorities to “rectify” cases where there might have been “procedural errors.”
“I call on Attorney General Saab and the country’s judges, to rectify and review any case that warrants it so that there is justice,” he said during his weekly broadcast.
The president’s message followed a demonstration last week by the so-called “Mothers in Defense of Truth.” They read out a letter addressed to Maduro, urging him to issue a pardon to secure their sons’ release.
“We hope this measure will be taken swiftly so we can enjoy Christmas without having our sons behind bars,” the text read. “We beg you to act with compassion and justice.”
The letter likewise alleged a number of irregularities in the judicial processes, including detentions without warrants, groundless charges and obstacles to securing defense attorneys. The mothers and relatives stressed that many of those arrested did not take part in any protests and pointed out the “difficult and precarious” prison conditions.
On Thursday, the Venezuelan opposition denounced the death of Jesús Martínez Medina in state custody following complications related to diabetes and cardiac issues. According to his relatives, Martínez was taken to a hospital last week but ultimately passed away. The 36 year-old had served as an opposition electoral witness in the presidential elections and was arrested on July 29. The Attorney General’s Office issued a statement on Friday “lamenting” Martínez’s death but did not clarify whether he had been formally charged.
Venezuelan electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential contest. Their verdict was later ratified by Venezuela’s Supreme Court. The president’s third six-year term will begin on January 10.
The US-backed opposition refused to accept the results, with violent protests in the immediate election aftermath, and later published a purported set of electoral tallies that had its candidate, Edmundo González, winning in a landslide.
[UPDATE Nov. 19: Venezuelan authorities confirmed the prisoners’ release over the weekend, with different sources placing the figure above 200. Some of those detained will face probation and might still go to trial. Two Spanish citizens who had been detained in September, accused of belonging to Spanish intelligence agency CNI and taking part in alleged terrorist plots, are reportedly among those released.]
Edited by José Luis Granados Ceja from Mexico City, Mexico.