IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures to María Andreina Oropeza Camacho, Who Has Disappeared in Venezuela

August 10, 2024

Washington, D.C. — On August 10, 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 46/2024 granting precautionary measures to María Andreina Oropeza Camacho in Venezuela, whose rights it found to be at grave and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm.

The petitioners alleged that María Andreina Oropeza Camacho, state coordinator of the campaign for presidential candidate Edmundo González, has been in a situation of "forced disappearance" since August 6, 2024, when an arbitrary search of her home was allegedly conducted by agents of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM). It was reported that she managed to broadcast live from her social media accounts as the state agents raided her home in the city of Guanare, Portuguesa state, Venezuela. Her cellphone was later confiscated. The petitioners noted that her mother has searched for her in all the detention centers in Guanare and Acarigua but has not received any news about her whereabouts or state of health, nor has any information been provided by the State.

After analyzing the factual and legal allegations in the context of the repression of the post-electoral protests in Venezuela, the IACHR deemed that the beneficiary was deprived of her freedom by state agents and that her whereabouts remain unknown.

Consequently, in accordance with article 25 of the Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requested that the State of Venezuela:

1. Take the necessary measures to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of María Andreina Oropeza Camacho. The State should specifically indicate whether the beneficiary is in the custody of the State and provide information on her circumstances or the measures being taken to determine her whereabouts or fate; and
2. Report on the measures taken to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of this precautionary measure to prevent them from being repeated.

The granting of these precautionary measures and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on any petition that may eventually be filed before the inter-American system over violations of the rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights and other applicable instruments.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 178/24

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