IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Jesús Alexander Armas Monasterios in Venezuela

January 3, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 105/2024 on December 31, 2024, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Jesús Alexander Armas Monasterios in Venezuela, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights to life and personal integrity.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the beneficiary is a political activist and rights defender who served as a Caracas city councilman over the period 2013–2018. He was allegedly arrested by Venezuelan law enforcement officers on December 10, 2024, although no official details have been provided about his current conditions of detention or health condition. The night he was arrested, six armed men whose faces were not visible allegedly forced Armas to get into a vehicle with no license plates. The request for these precautionary measures also noted that the proposed beneficiary has health problems that require constant medical treatment.

Following his arrest, his family and legal representatives visited detention facilities operated by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the General Department of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), where the authorities denied that he might be there. Armas' family filed a formal complaint to report him missing before the Office of Venezuela's Attorney General and also filed a complaint before the Ombudsperson's Office. However, they received no response and no evidence that the relevant investigations might have been launched. Armas' family also made repeated attempts to file a writ of habeas corpus before criminal justice courts in Caracas, but their files were deemed inadmissible because they had not been approved by higher authorities.

On December 12, 2024, the Venezuelan Interior and Justice Ministry said that Armas had been arrested for his alleged involvement in a scheme to hire individuals so they might cause unrest. On December 17, he was reported to be detained in facilities operated by the Zone 7 National Bolivarian Police, where he had allegedly been tortured by mechanical asphyxiation. According to media reports, Armas' partner said on December 19, 2024, that she had been informed that he had been taken to SEBIN facilities. However, he still had no contact with his family.

Given these circumstances, the IACHR considers that the beneficiary faces serious, urgent risks, since his whereabouts remain unknown. 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 Armas' rights to life and personal integrity (in particular, the State should officially report on whether he is in State custody—and, if so, provide the details of his arrest—or on any measures taken to establish his fate or whereabouts)
2. Adopt any measures necessary to ensure that the beneficiary's conditions of detention reflect the applicable international standards and include the following actions: (i) ensuring that he has regular access to and contact with his family, legal counsel, and representatives; (ii) officially reporting on the beneficiary's legal status in the context of the criminal justice proceedings he is allegedly being subjected to, as well as disclosing the reasons why he has been neither released nor taken before an independent court; (iii) immediately conducting a medical examination of his health condition and ensuring he has access to any medical care he needs
3. Come to an agreement with the beneficiary and his representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. 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. 005/25

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