Versión Español
EspañolVenezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz is collecting testimony from victims of the regime of President Nicolás Maduro, which she will use to make allegations against his dictatorship before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Díaz fled the country in August for fear of her life, as she was one of the few high-standing officials speaking out against human rights violations and food shortages in Venezuela. She also spoke out against alleged bribes Maduro accepted from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. In response, Maduro’s regime began questioning her mental stability while freezing her assets and banning her from leaving the country. After law enforcement raided her home, she was able to escape the country.
Since then, Díaz has been collecting evidence for an international case against the dictatorship in Venezuela. That has involved, in part, gathering the testimony of young refugees who fell victim to various human rights abuses by the government.
One of the victims reportedly told of being undressed and electrocuted. Another described their two days in the custody of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, where they were interrogated.
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“They detained me just for being a member of the Student Movement and because I stopped them from arresting a minor,” the victim, who is choosing to stay anonymous for now, said. “They even kidnapped my father in order to prevent me from protesting.”
Díaz received additional complaints during a meeting in Bogotá, Colombia on September 30. They told of forced migration and a severe shortage of basic necessities, such as food and medicine.
Sources: La Patilla, ACN, El Carabobeño.
