Urgent Action: VENEZUELA: MASS DETENTION OF VULNERABLE GROUPS (Second UA Venezuela 72.24)

Between July 29 and August 7, 2024, over two thousand people were arrested for protesting or being seen as critical of the government. Most of the detainees are young people, including at least 105 aged between 13 and 17. At least 16 people with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments, remain in detention. Credible allegations of incommunicado detention and denial of legal counsel persist, leading to a high risk of ill-treatment and torture. We urge the authorities to release all those detained for exercising their rights and call on the Attorney General to protect persons who are vulnerable because of their age or because of living with a disability or serious or chronic health condition.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: September 27, 2024

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
• Click here to let us know the actions you took on Second Urgent Action 72.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

sample letter:

Dear Attorney General of the Republic, or Dear Permanent Representative of Venezuela,

Official reports of the arrest of more than two thousand people for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and political participation are appalling. Among them are more than 100 teenagers aged between 13 and 17 and at least 16 people with disabilities who have been victims of this wave of repression. Protest must be protected, not punished.

It is extremely alarming that virtually all of these people, including teenagers and vulnerable groups such as young pregnant women, are experiencing a total lack of due process guarantees, such as not being allowed to communicate with their families, denial of representation by trusted counsel, and unjustified transfers to maximum security prisons. It is alarming to learn of the real risks of ill-treatment or even torture faced by thousands of people.

These arrests, torture, killings, and excessive use of force, carried out arbitrarily and with impunity, are characteristic of a policy of repression that has been in place for years and is aimed at silencing dissent, including protest.

We therefore urge you to protect those exercising their right to peaceful assembly, to immediately release all those detained for protesting, and to protect those who are vulnerable because of their age, disability, or serious or chronic health condition.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Wordopens in a new tab or PDFopens in a new tab
• GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
• READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
• CONTACT US: [email protected]