EspañolAccording to the NGO Venezuelan Penal Forum, 1,030 people have been arrested since February 12 during the protests that have spanned Venezuela. The organization has provided free legal assistance to all those arrested during the protests, which allowed it to count the number of arrests and take note of irregularities in judicial proceedings.
On Monday alone, the Chavista regime arrested 47 people and took them to the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) in the Helicoide building in Caracas. While there have been arrests all over Venezuela, Miranda state has the highest number of detainees, with 188 people through Monday, followed by 162 in Zulia, and Táchira and Mérida with 27 detainees each.
In addition to arbitrary detentions, Luis Armando Betancourt, attorney with the Venezuelan Penal Forum, denounced torture and human rights violations of detainees, mainly perpetrated by officers of the National Guard.
“Students reported that they were raped anally with a light automatic rifle (FAL). Others described how they were given rags soaked with gasoline to clean wounds, some were kneeling for more than 5 hours and had their heads beaten with helmets. One of them has a fractured skull,” said Betancourt.
Source: Últimas Noticias.