- Title: Twenty-four political prisoners in Venezuela freed
- Date: 17th October 2019
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RECENTLY RELEASED POLITICAL PRISONERS, HERBERT RAMIREZ (WITH BEARD) AND JORMAN ORTIZ, EMBRACING FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS AFTER WALKING OUT OF JAIL GENERAL VIEW OF RAMIREZ SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND MEDIA, SPEAKING WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RELEASED POLITICAL PRISONER, HERBERT RAMIREZ, WHO WAS A MEMBER OF AN OPPOSITION GROUP, SAYING: "We were prisoners. They deprived us of the freedom to see our families, to walk on the street. But it was only that. We were not tortured. There were moments when you suffer depression." GENERAL VIEW OF ORTIZ SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RELEASED POLITICAL PRISONER, JORMAN ORTIZ, WHO WAS A MEMBER OF AN OPPOSITION GROUP, AT NEWS CONFERENCE, SAYING: "The only crime we committed was to love Venezuela. The only crime that we have committed was to disagree." GENERAL VIEW OF EXTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY'S INTELLIGENCE SERVICE POLICE AND VEHICLES AT GATE OF INTELLIGENCE SERVICE VARIOUS OF VENEZUELA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL TAREK SAAB ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA AND OFFICIALS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE (Spanish) VENEZUELA ATTORNEY GENERAL, TAREK SAAB, SAYING: "This commission, after evaluating a list of names, came to the conclusion of presenting to the Venezuelan justice system the release of 24 Venezuelans who, at this very moment, are being released." GENERAL VIEW OF SAAB AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 31st October 2019 19:49
- Keywords: Venezuela prisoners UN human rights coucil
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1HMKW7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuela was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday (October 17) with 105 votes and a round of applause, despite fierce lobbying against it by the United States and rights groups, and the late entry of Costa Rica as competition.
In a secret ballot by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, Costa Rica garnered 96 votes despite only entering the race this month, when President Carlos Alvarado Quesada declared "the Venezuelan regime is not the suitable candidate."
Along with Brazil, the three countries were competing for two seats on the 47-member Human Rights Council starting Jan. 1. Brazil was re-elected for a second three-year term with 153 votes. Members can only serve two consecutive terms.
Shortly after the Council's vote was known, Venezuelan attorney general Tarek Saab said 24 people who were under arrest would be released, but did not give details about their identities or the reasons why they had been arrested.
"We were prisoners. They deprived us of the freedom to see our families, to walk on the street. But only it was that. We were not tortured," Herbert Ramirez, a member of an opposition group, said shortly after being released.
Venezuelan human rights groups such as Criminal Forum, whose lawyers represent detainees, report that until October 14 there were more than 460 political prisoners, among them, 358 are civilians and 108 military.
The Human Rights Council, created by the General Assembly in 2006, is responsible for strengthening promotion and protection of human rights. It can mandate independent inquiries into specific situations.
The council agreed last month to set up an international fact-finding mission to document violations in Venezuela, including torture and thousands of summary executions.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a July report that Venezuelan security forces were sending death squads to kill young men, staging scenes to make it look like the victims resisted arrest.
The Maduro government has called the U.N. report a "selective and openly partial vision" of the situation.
(Production: Johnny Carvajal, Liamar Ramos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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