Luis López and Gabriel González were accused of terrorism and attack against a military installation
The journalists Luis López and Gabriel González, together with activists from the political parties Voluntad Popular and Sell VenezuelaJeancarlos Rivas and Juan “Kiko” Iriarte respectively, were tried on charges of terrorism, instigation of hatred and attack against a military installation.
The hearing, which took place electronically at the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) in El Helicoide, on November 5, lasted approximately 40 minutes, review The Pitazo.
During this time, Judge Carlos Liendo of the Second Court of Control of the Metropolitan Area against Terrorism, accepted the allegations of the Public Ministry, which included testimonies and audiovisual material where the accused were supposedly linked to an attack on the headquarters of the Security command. Citizen of the National Guard in Maiquetía, which they classified as “part of a strategy to destabilize the government.”
The accused have been detained since June 14, 2024, and their relatives have denounced the violation of due process, including the lack of adequate notification about the hearing, since it was on the 14th of the current month that they received the information about the trial and the court decision.
From Las Mercedes del Llano, in Guárico, María Corina Machado denounced that journalist Gabriel González, a member of her press team, has been imprisoned in the El Helicoide torture center https://t.co/etPqVV3DiS pic.twitter.com/6eY0mtNEv5
— We monitor (@monitoreamos) June 19, 2024
“We found out this week because it was a basically clandestine act although the family members were attentive (…) waiting for the hearing, they did it electronically and they did not notify it,” reported Mary López, sister of journalist Luis López.
For their part, public defenders Santos Rojas and Valentina Lewis requested alternative measures that would allow the accused to be free during the trial, but this was not approved.
This case has generated concern among human rights organizations and defenders of press freedom, who see in these actions a continuation of the policy of repression against freedom of expression in Venezuela.
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