Mrs. Elvira and Mr. José Pernalete spoke by telephone with Provea to report that they were victims of an act of intimidation and harassment by alleged doctors from the de facto government, who came to their house to yell at them and try to get inside.
The Pernaletes stated that on Wednesday, March 24, around 2:00 PM, four people -two identified as members of an alleged communal council and two without identification- came screaming at their house with the excuse of having information of a possible case of coronavirus (COVID-19) since the Pernaletes had recently arrived from a trip. The Pernaletes denied the possibility, stating that they arrived in Venezuela more than 14 days ago and neither of them had symptoms.
According to the Pernaletes, the arrival of these people was very strange because “they did not bring any type of diagnosis or came prepared for a contingency”, and they have not responded to any survey or contacted any medical center regarding their health. They presume the Venezuelan State is using its resources to harass and intimidate those who denounce human rights violations.
“They shouted at us: ‘Open the door, open it.’ We went down, we explained to them but they insisted: ‘We have information that you recently entered the country’. They left when the neighbors came out to defend us, without giving any explanation.”
Juan Pablo’s case
Regarding the case of his son Juan Pablo Pernalete, who died on April 27, 2017, during an anti-government protest. The Pernaletes recalled that their son’s case is currently paralyzed. They report going to the Public Ministry on March 10 to one more hearing, but they were only told the officers are still working to charge the responsible, to which they replied they know very well it was a member of the National Guard. They denounced that the authorities kept lying three years later, saying he was killed with a bolt pistol by other protesters.
For Juan Pablo’s parents, part of justice is to unveil the truth about the murder of their son. They claim to be working on the case but they assure that as long as the regime remains in power they will be denied justice. “We document how justice is denied to prove it abroad,” they insisted.
Rights amid the State of Alarm
As a final comment, and faced with the State of Alarm imposed by Maduro to address the coronavirus pandemic, Juan Pablo’s parents feel there is no rule of law in Venezuela. They stand firm against the violations of their son’s rights: “They curtailed the right to life, to demonstrate. We feel that we have no right to complain.”.
The Pernaletes, who recently and unfortunately lost their daughter to cancer, assured there will be no justice in Venezuela while the bodies in charge of administering it do not enjoy independence or autonomy and depend directly on the Maduro regime.
“That’s the truth”
Provea rejects any act of persecution and harassment against victims of human rights violations. We demand that the Venezuelan State respect human rights defenders, and use its resources for those who need them, not as a new form of intimidation.
