IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of human rights defender Daniel García Morillo in Venezuela

February 20, 2025

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 15/2025 on February 18, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Daniel García Morillo in Venezuela, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights.

The party who requested these precautionary measures noted that García Morillo is a political activist and human rights defender. He currently serves as the political coordinator of the Vente Venezuela political party in the Manuel Dagnino parish in Maracaibo. On January 9, 2025, he was arrested by officers of the Bolivarian National Guard in Maracaibo, in the Venezuelan state of Zulia, and his whereabouts have since remained unknown. Further, the beneficiary suffers from immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a bleeding disorder that allegedly requires constant medical care.

Although García Morillo's family has received reports that allege that he is being held at the National Guard Command facility in Maracaibo, those reports have remained unconfirmed because officials have refused to admit his arrest or to provide information about his conditions of detention, judicial status, and current health condition. Further, the beneficiary's mother has allegedly said that her son is being held in solitary confinement and incommunicado. The State failed to provide information to the IACHR on this issue.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations made by the party who requested these precautionary measures, the IACHR considers that García Morillo is exceptionally vulnerable, considering the lack of an official response and the fact that his family has received no official information concerning his whereabouts or his health condition, despite the fact that he suffers from ITP. The IACHR noted that, in this context, García Morillo's family does not have the option of requesting domestic protection measures or ensuring that measures required are taken to establish the beneficiary's whereabouts.

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 García Morillo's rights to life and personal integrity (particularly by saying whether García Morillo is in State custody, and if so providing the details of any charges against him and of the judicial authority involved in the case, as well as of the circumstances in which he was arrested)
2. Take all measures necessary to ensure that the beneficiary's conditions of detention reflect the applicable international standards, including the following:
   1. Enabling regular access to and contact with his family, lawyers, and other representatives
   2. Officially reporting on the beneficiary's legal status in the context of the criminal law proceedings he is being subjected to, including the reasons why he has not been released to date and whether he has been taken before court so his arrest may be reviewed
   3. Immediately conducting a comprehensive medical examination of his current health condition and ensuring that he has access to the 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 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. 041/25

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