Officers of the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence in Maracaibo (DGCIM) detained six staff members from Azul Positivo, a medical and humanitarian NGO in Venezuela, on 12 January in Zulia (Western Venezuela). One was released, but five remain detained andwill be charged. DCGIM officersraidedthe NGO’s office and seizedtheir work equipment.Staff members have not had access to their lawyers or family. We demand theimmediate release of all Azul Positivo workers and the halt of harassment andcriminalprosecution of civil society.
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President Nicolás Maduro
Palacio de Miraflores
Av. Norte 10,
Caracas 1012,
Distrito Capital
Venezuela.
Tel: +58 212-8063111
Twitter: @NicolasMaduro
Dear Nicolas Maduro,
I am dismayed tolearn of the detention of civil society and humanitarian workers belonging to Azul Positivo, by officers in the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) in Maracaibo on 12 January.
Johan León Reyes,Yordy Bermúdez, Layners Gutiérrez Díaz, Alejandro Gómez Di Maggio,Miguel GuerraRaydan, and Luis Ferrebuz were arbitrary detained without warrant. Although Miguel Guerra has reportedly been released, together with the othersthey were held without access to lawyers or family.
Azul Positivo’s work as a humanitarian organization is admirable and critical given the dire human rights situation in Venezuela. Their work must be guaranteed, protected, and celebrated, not criminalized.
I call upon you to ensure the immediate release of all the staff of Azul Positivo and to end the harassment, criminal prosecution,and censorship of all civil society organizations working to protect the rights of all Venezuelans, particularly those in most need.
Yours sincerely,
