IACHR grants precautionary measures to three members of the Democratic Unitary Platform political party in the Venezuelan state of Guárico

October 23, 2024

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 74/2024 on October 22, 2024, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Andreina Zerpa Vivas, Yolivares Infante Camacho, and Eichler Hernández Ortuño in Venezuela, in the belief that they face a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their rights to life and personal integrity.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the proposed beneficiaries have been subjected to threats and harassment after taking part in the campaign of Edmundo González and María Corina Machado in the Venezuelan state of Guárico ahead of the Venezuelan presidential election held in July 2024. The request for these precautionary measures mentioned several incidents that allegedly happened in a context where the opposition is being persecuted in Venezuela, including instances of being followed by armed individuals, being sought at their homes and other places where they have stayed, and other incidents blamed on officers of the State.

These actions allegedly sought to make the beneficiaries publicly recognize Nicolás Maduro as the winner of that presidential election. The request for these precautionary measures notes that no information has been provided about criminal proceedings against Zerpa Vivas, Infante Camacho, and Hernández Ortuño, and that no official arrest warrant appears to have been issued against them by judicial authorities of competent jurisdiction.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations made by the party who requested these precautionary measures, the IACHR asked the State of Venezuela to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of Zerpa Vivas, Infante Camacho, and Hernández Ortuño
2. Take any measures necessary to ensure that the beneficiaries can continue to be involved in political activities without being subjected to threats, harassment, or any other acts of violence for their involvement (in particular, the State needs both to ensure that its officers will respect the beneficiaries' rights and preserve their personal integrity—in compliance with the standards of international human rights law—and to protect those rights from dangerous acts that may be perpetrated by third parties; the State must also report on any criminal investigations conducted against the beneficiaries, disclose any court orders in force against them, and grant them the appropriate judicial guarantees in the context of any investigations)
3. Come to an agreement with the beneficiaries and their representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the applicable instruments.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 258/24

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