IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Kevin Rafael Pérez Mendoza in Venezuela

December 15, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 91/2025 on December 11, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Kevin Rafael Pérez Mendoza in Venezuela, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights to life, personal integrity, and health.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the beneficiary has been deprived of liberty since July 30, 2024, and is not receiving adequate medical care, despite having attempted to commit suicide several times while in State custody. His specialized treatment has allegedly been stopped. Further, the request for these precautionary measures questions the beneficiary’s conditions of detention, since he is allegedly being held in an overcrowded cell, without adequate ventilation, with food restrictions, and without regular access to either drinking water of psychiatric care within prison facilities. 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 found that, since the beneficiary is deprived of liberty, has psychiatric problems, has repeatedly attempted to commit suicide, his specialized treatment has been stopped, he is not getting psychiatric care within prison facilities, and he is being held in inadequate conditions of detention, the beneficiary faces an imminent risk of suffering serious harm to his rights to life, personal integrity, and health.

Further, the IACHR did not receive from the State any information about the measures that might have been taken to mitigate or otherwise address the risks that had been identified. 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 Pérez Mendoza’s rights to life, personal integrity, and health
2. Take all measures necessary to ensure that the beneficiary’s conditions of detention reflect the applicable international standards, including the following:
   1. Ensuring that he has access to adequate, specialized medical care and medication and immediately conducting a comprehensive medical examination of his current physical and mental health condition
   2. Immediately granting the beneficiary access to adequate food and water
   3. Ensuring that he is not subjected to threats, intimidation, assault, and other forms of violence inside penitentiary facilities
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. 266/25

No. 266/25

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