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

B90184/2024

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 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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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

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

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;

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

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;

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;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, and the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States.