IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Fernando Orozco, his family, and Carolina Briceño in Venezuela

January 13, 2026

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 1/2026 on January 9, 2026, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Fernando Enrique Orozco Cassiani, his family, and Carolina Briceño in Venezuela, in the belief that they face a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their rights to life, personal integrity, and health.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, Orozco Cassiani is a former National Assembly legislator. On November 25, he was arrested by officers of the State, along with his wife, son, and ex partner. Their whereabouts have been unknown since then. His mother, Luz María Cassiani Villa, has allegedly been subjected to threats by the same officers. The State failed to provide information to the IACHR on this issue.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations in this case, the IACHR found that the fact that the whereabouts of Orozco Cassiani, Dilia Margarita Castillo Jiménez de Orozco, Brayant Fernando Orozco Castillo, and Carolina Briceño are unknown and the mere passage of time increase the probability that they will suffer harm to their rights.

Further, the IACHR found that, despite the searches and formal complaints filed by their families, Venezuelan authorities have failed to provide even basic information concerning their whereabouts, their conditions of detention, or their health condition since they were arrested.

In Cassiani Villa’s case, the IACHR noted that the mere presence of officers of the State inside her home and the threats against her are evidence of risks that might materialize at any time, given Venezuela’s current context. The IACHR did not receive from the State any information about the measures that might have been taken to mitigate or otherwise address the risks faced by the beneficiaries.

Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Venezuela to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect the rights to life, personal integrity, and health of Orozco Cassiani, Castillo Jiménez de Orozco, Orozco Castillo, Cassiani Villa, and Briceño
2. Report on whether Orozco Cassiani, Castillo Jiménez de Orozco, Orozco Castillo, and Briceño are in State custody (and, if so, disclose their places of detention and the reasons for and other details of their arrests), as well as on any measures taken to establish their fate or whereabouts
3. Should they be in State custody, take all measures necessary to ensure that the conditions of detention faced by Orozco Cassiani, Castillo Jiménez de Orozco, Orozco Castillo, and Briceño reflect the applicable international standards, particularly the following:
   1. Enabling contact with their families, trusted legal counsel, and any other representatives, and granting their legal counsel full access to the relevant criminal case files, should such files exist
   2. Saying whether they have been charged with any crimes and whether they have been taken before courts of competent jurisdiction so their arrests might be reviewed, and specifying the courts in charge of these criminal cases (or stating why they have not been taken before court)
   3. Immediately conducting a comprehensive medical examination of their current health condition and ensuring that they have timely access to the specialist medical care and/or treatment they need, as well as notifying their families and representatives of the results of this examination and care
4. Take any measures necessary to ensure that Luz María Cassiani Villa is not subjected to threats, harassment, intimidation, or any other acts of violence
5. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the alleged 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 of Venezuela 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. 008/26

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