The document summarizes recent political protests and government response in Venezuela. It describes how peaceful student protests against high inflation, shortages, and crime were met with violence from authorities and pro-government groups, resulting in multiple deaths. It outlines censorship of media reporting on the protests and alleged human rights abuses including arrests, beatings, and possible disappearances of protesters. An arrest warrant was issued for opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez over the protests.

1. Honorable Taoiseach
Enda Kenny
We - the Venezuelan Community in Ireland - have identified with democracy in this
country; a democracy which has been hard-earned and protected through the struggle for
independence and which is characterized by freedom of the press, as well as economic
and political freedom. Because we admire your country’s respect for Human Rights, we
are writing to you to ask you to raise your voice against the recent unfortunate events
which are taking place in our nation and endangering the physical, mental, social and
economic integrity of the citizens who are living in our troubled land.
As it is known in September 2013 Venezuela formally withdrew from the Inter-American
Court of Human Rights (IACHR). However, still endorses the Human Rights Declaration,
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention against Torture and other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Today thousands of Venezuelans are defending their right to freedom of expression and to
peaceful protest as well as their right to the most fundamental Human Right: the right to
life, as guarantee in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and The Venezuelan Constitution, by peaceful
demonstrations. However, the National Guard has met these peaceful protests with
firearms attacks and brutal physical repression.
These protests are the result of the suffocating economic crisis, the shortages of
commodities, the social inequality and the chronic insecurity that has killed thousands in
recent years. A clear example of Venezuelan’s sorry state is the shameful record that
places Venezuela in third place of the most violent nations in the world and Caracas as the
most deadly capital.1
Although the right to protest is guaranteed under the Venezuelan Constitution, President
Maduro has criminalized any movement contrary to his government and has established
the so-called "collective security" (a kind of paramilitary force organized by the
government) to repress civilians by any means, which has produced the following facts:
1. The peaceful protests and the violent response by government sympathizers
1 In Sight Crime Organized Crime in the Americas January 17 2014 http://www.insightcrime.org/news-
briefs/2013-dangerous-cities-list-reflects-latams-shifting-crime-landscape

2. On the 12 of February 2014, a group of students summoned the Venezuelan society to
peacefully protest against the failed governmental policies2
, especially regarding public
safety (there where almost 25.000 deaths in Venezuela in 20133
) and the increasingly high
inflation rates (Venezuela’s inflation rate in 2013 was of over 50%4
). Moreover, students
also complained about the arbitrary detention of fellow students in the city of San
Cristobal, which had occurred in the previous dates5
.
The protests were held in several cities of the country. The main one was held in the
capital city, Caracas, which had as its destination the Ministerio Público (Federal
Prosecutor’s Office). There, the protestors presented a document to this office in a
peaceful manner, making their respective claims. Nevertheless, by the end of the protest,
the situation was tense and some violence began to appear, irregular civil groups, as well
as police and National Guard attacked the protestors6
.
The day ended with three confirmed deaths and7
numerous students injured. The fatal
victims of February 12th
were the students Bassil Da Costa and Roberto Redman, killed
with firearms, and Juan Montoya, member of an armed group called “Colectivo 23 de
Enero” a government supporter.
Several protesters were injured due to firing bullets, buckshot, tear gas, and use of
powerful blasts of pressurized water. Moreover, many students were illegally detained.
2El Universal,Sector de la oposición convoca marcha parael 12 de febrero, 2 de febrero de 2014, disponible
en: http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140202/sector-de-la-oposicion-convoca-a-marcha-para-
el-12-de-febrero
3El Diario NY,Cerca de 25,000 muertos por violencia en 2013 en Venezuela, 26 december 2013, availableat:
http://www.eldiariony.com/casi-veinticinco-mil-muertos-violencia-asesinatos-homicidios-2013-venezuela-
informe-observatorio-venezolano.
4CNN México, Venezuela cierra 2013 con una inflación acumulada de 56%, 30 december 2013, available at:
http://mexico.cnn.com/mundo/2013/12/30/venezuela-cierra-2013-con-una-inflacion-acumulada-de-56.
5El Universal, Sebin detiene a tres estudiantes en Táchira, 7 february 2014, available at:
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140207/sebin-detiene-a-tres-estudiantes-en-tachira.
6 BBC news, Venezuela student protest ends in deadly violence, 13 February 2014, available at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-26166094.
7IACHR, IACHR Expresses Deep Concern over Acts of Violence in Venezuela and Urges the State to Ensure
Democratic Citizen Security, 14 de febrero 2014,availableat:
http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2014/013.asp.

3. According to official reports, on February 12th
there were 66 wounded and 69
apprehended8
.
In the following days, protests have continued, and so did the repressive government
response. It is especially important to note that the gas, used by police and soldiers
against protesters, has passed its expiration date and it was highly poisonous.9
The number of arrests and injuries keeps increasing with each passing day. On February
17th
, a 17-year old student died after being run over in one of the protests10
. It should also
be noted that armed groups attacked demonstrations in the city of Valencia on February
18, where at least 8 people were wounded by gunfire11
. On February 19, the death of
Genesis Carmona, a 21 years old former Miss Tourism Carabobo 2013, was confirmed
product of a gunshot wound to the head received during the demonstrations that took
place in Valencia12
.
2. The Government Reaction: Prohibition to Protest
The immediate reaction to the aforementioned protests of February 12th
was a de facto
suspension of the right to protest. Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan President, immediately
stated that in order to protest, prior governmental permission had to be granted13
.
8Caracol,Reprimen marcha de estudiantes en Caracas con gases, agua y perdigones, 14 de febrero de 2014,
disponible en: http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/internacionales/reprimen-marcha-de-estudiantes-en-
caracas-con-gases-agua-y-perdigones/20140214/nota/2082220.aspx
8Ministerio Público, FGR: Hubo tres muertos, 66 heridos y 69 personas aprehendida s por hechos de
violencia, 17 de febrero de 2014, disponible en: http://www.mp.gob.ve
9Reporta Venezuela, Lacrimógenas usadas en Altamira,14 de febrero 2014, disponibleen:
http://www.reportavenezuela.com/por-idioma-language/espanol/usan-sustancias-quimicas-vencidas-para-
reprimir-manifestantes-en-venezuela/.
10El Mundo, Muere arrollado joven de 17 años que protestaba en Carúpano,17 de febrero de 2014,
disponibleen: http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/muere-arrollado-joven-de-17-
anos-que-protestaba-en.aspx#ixzz2tmcupak8
11El Universal,Al menos 8 heridos de bala en manifestaciones deValencia,18 de febrero de 2013,
disponibleen: http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140218/al-menos-8-heridos-de-bala-en-
manifestaciones-de-valencia
12Ultimas Noticas,Murió Miss Turismo 2013,herida duranteprotestas en Carabobo,19 de febrero de 2014,
disponible:http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/sucesos/confirman-muerte-de-miss-
turismo-2013.aspx
13El Tiempo, Maduro prohíbe protestas de opositores radicales, 13 February 2014, available at:
http://eltiempo.com.ve/venezuela/gobierno/maduro-prohibe-protestas-de-opositores-radicales/126088.

4. The suspension of the right to protest continues. On February 16th
, Leopoldo López, one of
the opposition leaders, invited civil society to march on February 18 to the Ministry of
Interior and Justice to request the government: i) to determine the State's responsibility in
relation to the events of February 12, ii) the release of detained students and iii) the
cessation of persecution of dissidents. However, the Mayor of the Libertador Municipality,
sector where the concentration would take place, said the opposition did not asked for any
permission to march on Tuesday 18th.14
On February 18th
, civil society concentrated nearby Plaza Brion, Chacao Municipality,
where the march called by Leopoldo Lopez would start and would go to the Ministry of
Interior and Justice. However, the National Guard and the National Bolivarian Police
prevented the departure of the demonstration, which was forced to stay concentrated at
Plaza Brion15
. Moreover, a march organized by the government was allowed to march
without any restriction departing from Plaza Venezuela, Libertador Municipality.16
3. Censorship
In addition, the situation of freedom of speech is preoccupying. TV Stations have not been
able to transmit most of the information due to prior coercion led by the government.
CONATEL, the government regulatory agency for communications, affirmed: “the media
coverage of violent incidents could violate the Venezuelan broadcasting law”17
. As a
complement, NTN 24, a Colombian media network that was continuously reporting on the
Venezuelan protests, available at all cable networks in Venezuela, was removed under
CONATEL’s orders18
. Cable networks were forced by that government agency to remove
it from their available channels. Maduro himself affirmed that removing NTN 24 from the
14El Universal,AlcaldeRodríguez: No han solicitado ningún permiso para marcharel martes, 17 de febrero
de 2014,disponibleen:http://www.eluniversal.com/caracas/140217/alcalde-rodriguez-no-han-solicitado-
ningun-permiso-para-marchar-el-mar
15Diario lasAméricas,Seentrega Leopoldo López en medio de aplausosdesus seguidores,18 febrero de
2014,disponibleen: http://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/plaza-brion-impiden-marcha-
opositora-18-febrero.html
16El Universal, Oficialistas se concentran en Plaza Venezuela, 18 de febrero de 2014, disponible en:
http://www.eluniversal.com/caracas/140218/oficialistas-se-concentran-en-plaza-venezuela
17 Human Rights Watch, Venezuela: Investigate Violence During Protests, 13 February 2014, available at:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/13/venezuela-investigate-violence-during-protests.
18El Universal NTN24 CEO: Itis an affront to freedom of expression http://english.eluniversal.com/nacional-
y-politica/140213/ntn24-ceo-it-is-an-affront-to-freedom-of-expression

5. cable networks was a “State Decision”19
. Moreover, CONATEL reported that NTN 24 will
remain blocked until it "stopped destabilizing”20
.
Additionally, the services of Twitter were blocked by government mandate. Twitter said
that the government of Venezuela blocked the images of online opposition users that
marched in Caracas on the third day21
. This prevented Venezuelans protestors to share
images of what was happening through this free media social networking, now used as
free media, in Venezuela22
.
Students and civil society decided to protest the censorship of private media, so on
February 17th
they went peacefully to CONATEL offices in order to request the removal of
censorship on the media23
.
It should be added that in the context of violations to the freedom of expression, 20
journalists were attacked and 11 arrested, according to information provided by the Union
of Press Workers in Venezuela, many of them claim to have been beaten and robbed by
members of the National Guard24
. On February 18th
, the team of reporters from CNN
International were victims of an armed robbery in “El Valle” –a suburb in Caracas- in which
they lost all their equipment.25
19El Universal, Maduro: Sacar del aire a NTN24 fue una decisión de Estado, 13 February 2014, available at:
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140213/maduro-sacar-del-aire-a-ntn24-fue-una-decision-
de-estado.
20Ultimas Noticias,Conatel:Web de NTN24 seguirá bloqueada hasta quedeje de desestabilizar,18 de
febrero de 2014, disponibleen: http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/conatel-
web-de-ntn24-seguira-bloqueada-hasta-que-d.aspx
21Bloomberg, Venezuelans Blocked on Twitter as Opposition Protests Mount, 15 de febrero 2014,disponible
en: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-14/twitter-says-venezuela-blocks-its-images-amid-protest-
crackdown.html .
22Human Rights Watch,Venezuela: Investigate ViolenceDuring Protests, 13 de febrero 2014,di sponibleen:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/13/venezuela-investigate-violence-during-protests.
23El Nacional,Estudiantes exigen el cese de censura contra medios privados,17 de febrero de 2014,
disponibleen: http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/Estudiantes-marcharan-plaza-Brion-
Conatel_0_357564307.html
24El Tiempo, Sindicato venezolano dice20 periodistasfueron agredidos y 11 detenidos, 17 de febrero de
2014,disponibleen: http://eltiempo.com.ve/venezuela/situacion/sindicato-venezolano-dice-20-periodistas-
fueron-agredidos-y-11-detenidos/126591
25NotiTarde, El equipo reporteril de CNN fue atracado en El Valle,18 de febrero de 2014,disponibleen:
http://www.notitarde.com/Pais/El-equipo-reporteril-de-CNN-fue-atracado-en-El-Valle/2014/02/18/305414

6. 4. Cruel and inhumane treatment during detention
As stated above, according to figures confirmed by “Foro Penal Venezolano” (Venezuelan
Penal Forum, an NGO that represent victims of political violence in Venezuela), more than
150 protesters have been arrested in the legitimate exercise of their right to protest
peacefully.26
There have been serious claims of ill treatment against the detained protestors, which
have not been investigated by the government. Amongst the most serious claims, are
those of electric shocks27
, being beaten and stripped naked and being threatened with
being burned alive28
. There are even reports of sexual assaults against students
arrested.29
5. Possible Enforced Disappearances
There are also several claims of enforced disappearances of protestors in Venezuela, who
were allegedly detained but there is no information of their whereabouts until now30
.
6. Persecution of opposition leaders
On February 12th
, the public prosecutor requested an arrest warrant against Leopoldo
López, after President Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition leader of the violent events
that occurred that day in the manifestations31
.
26 Globovisión,Foro Penal Venezolano: Hay más de 150 detenidos entre Valencia y Barquisimeto por
protestas,17 de febrero de 2014,disponibleen: http://globovision.com/articulo/foro-penal-venezolano-
hay-mas-de-150-detenidos-entre-valencia-y-barquisimeto-por-protestas
27NotiTarde, El equipo reporteril de CNN fue atracado en El Valle, 18 de febrero de 2014, disponible en:
http://www.notitarde.com/Pais/El-equipo-reporteril-de-CNN-fue-atracado-en-El-Valle/2014/02/18/305414
28NTN24, Estudiantes venezolanos detenidos habrían sufrido torturas, según abogada del Foro Penal
Venezolano, 16 february 2014, available at: http://www.ntn24.com/videos/estudiantes-venezolanos-
detenidos-habrian-sufrido-tortura-segun-abogada-del-foro-penal-venezolano .
29NTN24, "Fuimos testigos de cómo algunos estudiantes fueron violados vía anal": abogado del Foro Penal
Venezolano”, 16 de febrero 2014, disponible en: http://www.ntn24.com/videos/entrevista-abogado-ddhh-
venezuela-121933.
30El Pais, Un país al borde del abismo autoritario, 16 february 2014, available at:
http://www.elpais.com.uy/mundo/pais-borde-abismo-autoritario.html .
31El Universal,Ordenan al Sebin capturar a Leopoldo López, 13 de febrero de 2014,disponibleen:
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140213/ordenan-al-sebin-capturar-a-leopoldo-lopez

7. The party headquarters Voluntad Polular was raided on February 17th
by officials of the
SEBIN ("Bolivarian National Intelligence Service") without a legal order32
. Armed officers
tried to detain several party members who were there33
.
On February 18th
, the opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez surrendered to authorities in order
to prove his innocence of the crimes that he was charged with34
. However, after going to
the Courthouse, it was decided to defer filing for hearing on February 19th
, he is being
detained in Ramo Verde, a military prison until the hearing is held35
.
Additionally, an arrest warrant against the political coordinator of the Voluntad Popular
Carlos Vecchio36
was confirmed. Moreover, the National Assembly will discuss revoking
the immunity of Independent Congress woman Maria Corina Machado37
.
We share the belief as expressed recently by the Costa Rican Nobel Peace Prize winner
Oscar Arias Sánchez, who spoke thus in support of our country: "The hottest places in hell
are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintained their neutrality. There
comes a time when silence becomes betrayal". We who today are far from our land, we
raise our voices, we demonstrate and tell the world that "Venezuela is struggling” inside
and outside its borders.
For the aforementioned reasons, we formally and respectfully request you to:
(1) Condemn the violent attacks and other Human Rights violations constituted
against the protestors in Venezuela.
32El Universal,Denuncian allanamiento sin orden legal a la sedede Voluntad Popular,17 de febrero de
2014,disponibleen: http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140217/denuncian-allanamiento-sin-
orden-legal-a-la-sede-de-voluntad-popular
33Panorama,MUD denuncia intentos de detención de integrantes de Voluntad Popular,17 de febrero de
2014,disponibleen http://panorama.com.ve/portal/app/push/noticia100370.php.
34El Universal,Leopoldo López seentrega a funcionariosdela GN, 18 de febrero de 2014, disponibleen:
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140218/leopoldo-lopez-se-entrega-a-funcionarios-de-la-gn
35El Mundo, Diferida audiencia depresentación de Leopoldo López, 18 de febrero de 2014,disponibleen:
http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/noticias/diferida-audiencia-de-presentacion-de-leopoldo-
lop.aspx
36Globovisión,Unidad confirma orden de detención contra Carlos Vecchio,19 de febrero de 2014,disponible
en: http://globovision.com/articulo/mud-anuncia-acciones-tras-entrega-de-leopoldo-lopez
37El Nacional,ANdiscutirá allanamiento de inmunidad parlamentaria deMaría Corina Machado 18 de
febrero de 2014, disponibleen: http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/AN-parlamentaria-Maria-Corina-
Machado_0_358164225.html

8. (2) Request the Venezuelan government to cease all violent attacks and Human
Rights violations against Venezuelan protestors, and to investigate and sanction
those who have perpetrated such actions.
Also, we encourage you to raise this crucial issue with other organizations and countries,
particularly with your fellow Europeans and to take a stand on behalf of another small
nation in its struggle for democracy.
Ireland, February, 2014