Venezuela’s National Assembly lawmaker, Juan Requesens and other 16 defendants, were accused of involvement in the drone attack of August 2018. Juan Requesens’ arrest was a clear violation of his parliamentary immunity as an elected member of the Venezuelan National Assembly.
The European Union regrets that the trial has so far failed to provide the adequate guarantees of transparency and due legal process. Furthermore, the European Union regrets that its diplomats were once again denied access as observers to the hearings for these cases. This is in breach of the Venezuelan legislation on the publicity of hearings.
Similar irregularities can unfortunately be observed in the process against Roberto Marrero, detained since 21st of March.
Venezuela has a special responsibility, as an elected member of the Human Rights Council. Venezuela must champion the full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The European Union encourages the Venezuelan authorities to enforce the legal guarantees and the constitutional provisions related to the right to a fair trial. Venezuelan authorities should also ensure a transparent process against all detainees and release all political prisoners. Venezuelan authorities should also collaborate with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the fulfilment of its mandate. In particular, OHCHR should be granted unrestricted access to all political prisoners and their related trials.
