IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures to Journalist Roland Oswaldo Carreño Gutiérrez in Venezuela

August 17, 2024

Washington, D.C. — On August 17, 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 50/2024 granting precautionary measures to Roland Oswaldo Carreño Gutiérrez in Venezuela after finding his rights to be at grave and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm.

According to the request, Roland Carreño—journalist, political activist, and national leader of the opposition party Voluntad Popular—was deprived of his liberty by agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) on the afternoon of August 2, 2024, in the city of Caracas. To date, his whereabouts are unknown, and he is presumed to have been forcibly disappeared. Both the General Directorate of Military Intelligence (DGCIM) and the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) have denied having him in their custody. Likewise, the authorities have refused to receive the report of these events or a habeas corpus appeal.

The petitioning party stated that Roland Carreño was harassed, persecuted, and detained by officers of the Bolivarian National Police in 2020. During these events, he was allegedly forced to record a video describing his functions as head of operations for the political party Voluntad Popular in Venezuela. He was deprived of his liberty for three years without receiving the medical attention he required. The State has not provided any information about the case.

After analyzing the factual and legal allegations in light of the repression that has followed the recent elections in Venezuela and the monitoring conducted by the IACHR Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression regarding the beneficiary's circumstances after his detention, the IACHR expressed particular concern over the fact that the beneficiary was allegedly detained by State agents.

The IACHR stressed the fact that attempts to report Roland Carreño's disappearance or to file habeas corpus petitions were not accepted by the authorities. The beneficiary is thought to be in a situation of extreme vulnerability, as his current location and whereabouts are unknown. The IACHR also expressed its concern that the recipient's situation could have discouraged other journalists from expressing themselves freely in the current context in the country.

Therefore, under Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requests that the State of Venezuela

1. Take the necessary measures to protect the rights to life and personal integrity of Roland Oswaldo Carreño Gutiérrez. The State should specifically indicate whether the beneficiary is in the custody of the State and provide information on his 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. 186/24

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