On the case of Rocío San Miguel and General Hernández Da Costa, among other political prisoners in Venezuela

B90182/2024

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

(2024/2618(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Venezuela,

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

A. whereas there are over 300 political prisoners in Venezuela and arbitrary detentions are part of the widespread and systematic attacks by the regime against the population;

B. whereas on 9 February 2024 Rocío San Miguel, a lawyer and human rights activist, was kidnapped and sentenced on politically motivated grounds; whereas she is being detained in El Helicoide prison known for human rights abuses, including torture;

C. whereas General Hernández Da Costa is a political prisoner since 2018 and suffers from medical ailments; whereas on 19 February he was forcibly transferred in precarious conditions and without sufficient food, together with an unknown number of prisoners, to El Rodeo 1, designed to detain political prisoners; whereas medical treatment is being denied to him;

D. whereas other political prisoners such as Juan Carlos Marrufo of Italian nationality, Colonel Oswaldo García Palomo and Lieutenant Colonel Igbert Marín Chaparro were also forcibly transferred to Rodeo 1;

E. whereas several campaign coordinators of the presidential candidate of the opposition María Corina Machado, namely Juan Freites, Luis Camacaro, Guillermo Lopez and Emill Brandt, have also been detained on political grounds and their whereabouts and conditions are unknown;

F. whereas in January, the illegitimate National Assembly resumed consideration of a law that seeks to restrict, criminalise and close down non-governmental organisations;

1. Urges the Maduro regime to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained political prisoners, including Rocío San Miguel and General Hernández Da Costa, and restore their full rights;

2. Exhorts the regime to cease its policy of repression and attacks on civil society and the opposition;

3. Calls on relevant authorities to investigate connection between the murder of Ronald Ojeda and the Maduro regime;

4. Calls on the International Criminal Court to include ongoing human rights violations in arbitrary detentions in its investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by Maduro regime;

5. Calls on the VP/HR and the Council to increase sanctions on the regime, including on individuals responsible for serious human rights violations, including high-level officials, members of the security forces, members of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and Nicolás Maduro himself;

6. Calls for the EU and the international community to intensify efforts to support a return to democracy in Venezuela and in particular in the context of the elections, which entails ensuring that the winner of the opposition primaries, María Corina Machado participates freely; underlines that the announcement by the regime of the electoral schedule and election date of 28 July 2024 is a farce that clearly violates the Barbados Agreement and the Constitution of Venezuela;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the VP/HR, the Member States, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, the Organisation of American States, the UN Secretary-General and the Venezuelan regime.