What changed

B90184/2024

B90183/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the case of Rocío San Miguel and General Hernández Da Costa, among other political prisoners in Venezuela

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Venezuela,

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on February 9, 2024, the Venezuelan regime arbitrarily arrested Rocío San Miguel, founder and president of the NGO Control Ciudadano; whereas the General Hernández Da Costa was arbitrarily arrested in 2018; whereas these are politically-motivated detentions;

A. whereas the use of politically motivated arbitrary detentions are part of a policy of repression implemented by the government of Nicolás Maduro and part of a widespread and systematic attack against the population of Venezuela;

B. whereas Control Ciudadano advocates for citizen oversight of Venezuela's armed forces and led investigations uncovering a series of events such as torture, deaths and arbitrary detentions, committed by the Venezuelan armed forces;

B. whereas the lawyer, professor and human rights defender Rocío San Miguel was arbitrarily detained on 9 February 2024 and accused of treason, conspiracy, terrorism, and association to commit crimes;

C. whereas the arrests of San Miguel and General Hernández Da Costa are one of many of cases of political persecution against critics; whereas these arrests are motivated by the investigations against the Venezuelan shadowy and corrupt regimen-controlled armed forces; whereas political prisoners in Venezuela face inhumane prison conditions and critical health care is withheld by the regime;

C. whereas General Hernández Da Costa, who has been detained since 2018, needs urgent medical treatment as his health condition has been worsening significantly in recent weeks;

D. whereas two allies of the Venezuelan regime, Russia and Cuba, maintain close cooperation in military and security matters; whereas this cooperation includes Russian mercenaries;

D. whereas Nicolás Maduro’s government has continually harassed, persecuted and censored activists and civil society organizations in the midst of a complex humanitarian emergency and a profound human rights crisis that is pushing an unprecedented number of people to flee in search of safety and protection;

E. whereas in May 2021, the US Congress affirmed that Venezuela is governed by an authoritarian regime that repress the political opposition and the human rights defenders; whereas the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and its International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) have documented numerous killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, tortures and ill-treatment against opponents of the Maduro regime, which can be considered crimes against humanity;

E. whereas on 9 January 2024, the National Assembly resumed consideration of a bill that seeks to restrict and potentially criminalise and close NGOs operating in Venezuela and represents another attempt to restrict and control civil society in Venezuela;

1. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrests of Rocio San Miguel and of General Hernández Da Costa;

F. whereas on 15 February, the Venezuelan government announced it was suspending the activities of the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) after they expressed "deep concern" about the arrest of Rocio San Miguel and urged her immediate release & respect for her right to legal defence;

2. Requests their unconditional and immediate release, and the release of all the political prisoners unjustly and arbitrarily imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime;

G. whereas these facts signal a concerning escalation in the country’s attempts to evade international scrutiny and accountability and are intended to crush government opposition in the lead-up to the elections to be held on 28 July 2024;

3. Deplores the continuous repression by the Venezuelan regime against opposition figures, including torture, enforced disappearances and killings; reiterates its firm and unconditional support for the Venezuelan people;

1. Calls on the Venezuelan government to immediately cease its policy of repression, cease all attacks on civil society and immediately and unconditionally release all individuals arbitrarily detained for political reasons;

4. Deplores Venezuela's alignment with Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua and other dictatorial regimes;

2. Calls on the Venezuelan government to provide unhindered access to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, as well as other UN Special Procedure mandates, and cooperate with international scrutiny and justice mechanisms;

5. Condemns pressure on the U.N. human rights office in Caracas to shut down after the office criticized Venezuela's decision to detain human rights attorney Rocio San Miguel; Calls on the international community, the EU and in particular the HR/VP, Josep Borrell, its Member States, to impose the necessary sanctions against those individuals from the Venezuelan regime and proxies responsible for violations of human rights against the Venezuelan people, and to suspend all funds and projects destined to Venezuela;

3. Calls on the European External Action Service, the EU Delegation in Venezuela, the Member States and the international community to engage with the Venezuelan authorities up to the highest level, including publicly, for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals arbitrarily detained for political reasons and to step up engagement during an expected surge in the government’s policy of repression in the context of the election period;

6. Fully supports the ICC investigations into the extensive crimes and acts of repression perpetrated by the Venezuelan regime; calls for the EU to support the initiative of the ICC States Parties to open an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Maduro regime and proxies, especially in the case of President Nicolas Maduro and of the Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, in order to hold them responsible to account;

4. Urges the Member States to maintain the sanctions imposed;

7.5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR,Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Secretary-GeneralEU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit participants, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Organization of American States.States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Venezuelan authorities.