IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures to Carmen Leonor García Azuaje in Venezuela

August 23, 2024

Washington, D.C. — On August 23, 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 54/2024 granting precautionary measures to Carmen Leonor García Azuaje in Venezuela, after finding her rights to be at grave and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm.

According to the request, on August 17, 2024, Carmen Leonor García Azuaje, secretary of the opposition party Alianza Bravo Pueblo, was detained in the center of the city of Puerto Ayacucho, in the state of Amazonas, by officers of the Strategic Intelligence Division of the Bolivarian National Police. The petitioning party stated that her whereabouts have remained unknown since her detention. They described Carmen Leonor García Azuaje's arrest as arbitrary and argued that she had been forcibly disappeared.

It was also reported that the beneficiary's family have had to go into hiding due to the political persecution they have experienced. Her husband has also received threats that he will be deprived of his freedom. The search for the beneficiary has included visits to the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Police in Puerto Ayacucho, the Bolivarian National Guard, and the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN). Her representatives were told that she is not being held in any of these facilities. The Venezuelan State has not provided any further information about the case.

After analyzing the factual and legal allegations, the IACHR deemed the circumstances that preceded Carmen Leonor García Azuaje's arrest to be of particular significance, as are those the IACHR has observed in its work monitoring the overall context in the country. As a consequence, the IACHR expressed its particular concern over the fact that her whereabouts have remained unknown since August 17, 2024, when she was arrested by agents of the Bolivarian National Police. The IACHR noted that as well as being the secretary of the opposition party Alianza Bravo Pueblo, the beneficiary was also the target of threats and harassment due to her role as an electoral witness in the Venezuelan presidential elections in July 2024. The IACHR also noted that it is impossible to request domestic protection measures in favor of the beneficiary. The IACHR deemed that Carmen Leonor García Azuaje is completely unprotected in relation to the circumstances she may be experiencing, given that her whereabouts are unknown.

Therefore, in accordance with 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 Carmen Leonor García Azuaje. 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. The IACHR also deems it necessary for the State to report whether the beneficiary has been charged with a crime and has been brought before a competent court to review her detention. If she has not, the State should explain why she has not been released;
2. take the necessary measures to ensure that the beneficiary can carry out her work as a member of an opposition party without being subjected to threats, harassment, or acts of violence; and
3. report on the measures taken to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures 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. 191/24

5:50 PM