IACHR
Press Release
IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures in Favor of Detainees at “Ramo Verde” in Venezuela
February 6, 2020
Washington, D.C. - On December 5, 2020, the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted
Resolution 5/2020, through which it granted precautionary measures in
favor of Williams Alberto Aguado Sequera and other people who are
deprived of their freedom at the National Center for Accused Members
of the Military (CENAPROMIL, also known as “Ramo Verde”).
The IACHR noted that the beneficiaries were mainly at risk due to their state of health and their lack of access to appropriate or sufficient medical treatment. In addition to reportedly suffering from illnesses or experiencing worrying medical symptoms, some of the people who are being deprived of their freedom at the facility also allegedly suffered injuries as a result of the treatment they received at the time of their arrest, which they did not receive medical care for.
After analyzing the available information, the IACHR deemed that
there was sufficient justification that the requirements set out in
Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure had been met. It therefore
requested that Venezuela adopt the necessary measures to protect the
rights to life, personal integrity, and health of Mr. Williams
Alberto Aguado Sequera and the other people listen as beneficiaries
in Resolution 5/2020. It specifically requested that the state
ensure that the beneficiaries have access to the medical treatment
indicated by the corresponding experts. Likewise, the IACHR
requested that the state agree on any measures to be adopted in
consultation with the beneficiaries and their representatives; and
that it implement actions to investigate the events that led to the
adoption of these precautionary measures so as to prevent them from
being repeated.
The fact that this precautionary measure has been granted and its adoption by the state does not entail a prejudgment on any petition that may eventually be filed before the inter-American system to allege that the rights protected by the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and other applicable international instruments have been violated.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
No. 023/20