Extrajudicial Killings Accompany Venezuela Security Raids

Experts say extrajudicial killings have jumped alarmingly since the Venezuelan government began a new anti-crime initiative last year, further suggesting that security forces could be involved in death squad-like activity. Inti Rodríguez, coordinator of the Venezuelan human rights organization PROVEA, told El Nuevo Herald that "more than 700 extrajudicial executions have been committed" since Operation Liberation and Protection of the People (Operación de Liberación y Protección del Pueblo - OLP) began in July 2015. "We are talking about 450 such executions so far this year, and 245 last year," said Rodríguez, adding that the OLP security forces "are out to kill."More…