Opponents denounce the violations of the Maduro government to Unicef
Members of different opposition parties in Venezuela delivered a letter this Monday to the Unicef headquarters in Madrid denouncing the “serious violations of human rights” suffered by boys, girls and adolescents who are detained in Venezuela and demanding his “immediate release.”
In the letter, the complainants point out that 142 children and adolescents have been detained “arbitrarily” and that, currently, 70 remain “unjustly” deprived of liberty, “held in centers with inhumane conditions, not suitable for their age.” and condition, in violation of international standards.
Conditions “include overcrowding, lack of access to basic health services, poor nutrition, and lack of protection from physical and psychological abuse,” and adolescents have been “tortured with electric shocks, beatings, lack of food, or even sexual abuse.” , point out the opposition signatories in the letter.
«We trust and are sure that Unicef step forward on this and immediately demand the release of all these children “that they are arbitrarily deprived of liberty,” said the coordinator of the Comando Venezuela organization, María Gabriela Olavarría, in statements to the media.
«We are talking about children who should be going to school. and instead of going to school they are receiving abuse, torture and psychological abuse,” he added.
The complaint before this United Nations agency will be presented in different cities around the world, both in Latin America and Europe, according to Olavarría, who assured: “we are the global voice of all these Venezuelan mothers.”
«All countries have to speak out because this has nothing to do with left or right nor with an issue of political ideology, this has to do with human rights. “What is happening in Venezuela is aberrant,” Olavarría demanded.
In addition, He stated that in Venezuela “there is no rule of law” nor “any type of guarantee,” and he said that “it is a cruel regime that does not respect either the disabled or the elderly and we have seen, at this moment, how our children and adolescents do not have their human rights respected either.”
The letter details the current situation of some detained teenagers, such as the case of a 17-year-old girl, who was arrested for “forwarding a message with information rejecting the government against the results of the July 28 process.” announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) through a WhatsApp group.
In that sense, Olavarría said that they hope that there will be “a serious statement”, actions and that “it will be effectively ensured that they are in detention centers that are special for these children.”
The Venezuelan opposition denounces fraud in the elections of July 28 in which, according to the official electoral organizations, the victory of President Nicolás Maduro was revalidated.
The opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, has been in Madrid since September, after requesting asylum in Spain.
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