IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of journalist and social activist Carlos Julio Rojas in Venezuela

January 22, 2025

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 7/2025 on January 20, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of journalist and social activist Carlos Julio Rojas in Venezuela, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the beneficiary was arrested by Venezuelan law enforcement officers on April 15, 2024. For as long as he has been deprived of liberty, he has allegedly not been granted access to a lawyer of his choice, while he has had no contact with his family since July 28, 2024. The beneficiary allegedly suffers from various health issues. No official information has been provided about either his conditions of detention or any medical care he may have received. The party who requested these precautionary measures noted that Rojas was arrested in a context marked by persecution and systematic violence, in retaliation for the beneficiary's work in defense of human rights. The State failed to provide information to the IACHR on this issue.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations, the IACHR considers that the beneficiary is at risk, given that his conditions of detention and his health condition have remained unknown since April 15, 2024, and that he remains incommunicado and without access to judicial remedies. 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 Rojas' rights to life, personal integrity, and health, in keeping with the applicable international standards
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; (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 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 American Convention on Human Rights and other 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. 018/25

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