US Urges Venezuela To Ensure Due Process For Detained Protesters

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, mayors Enzo Scarano and Daniel Ceballos, and approximately 70 protesters remain incarcerated- some for more than seven months, many without any formal charges. The judge in the trial of Lopez denied his requests to present evidence in his defense. According to local NGOs, more than 1,700 individuals have pending charges and have not received a court date. While not all those individuals are imprisoned, we remain deeply troubled by the opaque justice procedures in place, Harf said. In February, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed deep concern about the alleged use of criminal proceedings to punish peaceful protesters and government critics. In March, six UN Special Rapporteurs asked the Venezuelan government to clarify allegations of arbitrary detention and excessive use of force and violence against protesters. Their concerns went unheeded by the Venezuelan government. Allegations of arbitrary detention of protesters - some in military facilities - torture, and denial of legal assistance continue. More …