IACHR requests from Inter-American Court provisional measures in favor of Juan Pablo Guanipa in Venezuela

August 20, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) asked the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to grant provisional measures in favor of Juan Pablo Guanipa Villalobos in Venezuela, in the belief that he faces an extremely serious and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights. Following his arrest by officers of the State, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Guanipa is an opposition politician and has been since 2000 the coordinator of the political party Justice First in the state of Zulia. Before and after the presidential election of July 28, 2024, he was a major ally of opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González. According to the information that has been provided to the IACHR, Guanipa has been subjected to State persecution for exercising his political activity for years, as well as in the run-up and wake of the July 2024 election.

The IACHR granted precautionary measures in favor of Juan Pablo Guanipa Villalobos on October 7, 2024, through Resolution 71/2024. The IACHR has repeatedly requested information from the State of Venezuela, but it received no response about any measures that might have been adopted to protect Guanipa's life and integrity.

Although he was a beneficiary of precautionary measures, Guanipa was arrested by officers of the State on May 23, 2025, and that arrest was publicly confirmed by high officials in Venezuela. Following his arrest, and considering that he is in State custody and that his whereabouts are unknown, the State has still not provided the requested information to the IACHR.

The IACHR informed the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that, based on the available information and despite domestic remedies sought by his family, Guanipa's whereabouts have remained unknown since he was arrested on May 23, 2025. The IACHR found that Guanipa meets the criterion of facing an extremely serious and urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights, as required by Article 63.2 of the American Convention, and the requirements stated in Article XIII of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons, to which the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been a party since 1999.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights grants provisional measures in extremely serious and urgent cases, to prevent irreparable harm to individuals. Provisional measures are mandatory for States, and the decisions they hold require that States adopt specific actions to protect the rights and/or lives of the individuals who are at risk.

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. 169/25

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