Washington, September 17, 2020
The Fact-Finding Mission affirmed that the Venezuelan state apparatus used tactics and measures of targeted political repression against critics of the government, which include arbitrary detentions, short-term forced disappearances, and acts of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment at the hands of State intelligence agencies. A clear example of this pattern is the case of Fernando Albán, founder of the opposition political party Primero Justicia and councilor of the Libertador Municipality of the Capital District of Venezuela, who was arbitrarily detained on October 5, 2018, and died three days later in the custody of the Bolivarian Service of National Intelligence (SEBIN). In the case of councilor Fernando Albán, the Mission concluded that:
a) There are reasonable grounds to believe that arbitrary arrest and detention were committed against Councilor Albán.
b) There are strong reservations about the qualification of suicide given by high-level officials in relation to the death of councilor Albán.
c) Councilor Albán was detained by SEBIN and was in the custody of the Coordination of Special Operations, dependent on the Counter-Intelligence Directorate of SEBIN when he died, also involving a presumption of state responsibility.
d) There are “reasonable grounds to believe that public officers were involved in his death, amounting to an arbitrary deprivation of life.”
e) The forensic examination did not apply the standards required by Minnesota or Istanbul Protocols. His family was unable to undertake an independent autopsy or to bury his corpse, despite numerous requests.
The Mission also determined a “clear pattern” of harassment and intimidation against the legal representatives of detainees or their families, as is the case of Ramón Alfredo Aguilar, councilor Albán’s lawyer.
We must highlight that this report is one more step toward the quest for justice and truth on the events surrounding the death of Fernando Albán, and we urge the international community to commit to the efforts of the Venezuelan people for a democratic country that guarantees human rights. As recommended in the report, we urge the International Criminal Court and the Member States – under the principle of universal jurisdiction – to bring justice to the victims of the crimes investigated by the Mission.
Finally, Fernando Albán’s relatives and legal representatives ask the Venezuelan State to comply with the recommendations of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission. In this sense, it must immediately conduct an effective, exhaustive, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the human rights violations against Councilor Albán, his relatives, and his lawyers.
Translated by: José Rafael Medina
