Collective statement
Photograph: DGCIM officer in Caracas, 2017
Last Friday, October 25, 2024, Venezuela received the dreadful news of the death of Edwin Santos, social leader of the community of El Nula, Apure state. Husband, father of two children, member of a Catholic community, worker and member of the Voluntad Popular party.
It is a known and public fact that Edwin was detained on Wednesday, October 23 by a State security agency. According to witnesses, it was a black van occupied by hooded men. This was reported by several citizens and by the parish priest of the community himself in a public video. Information was also received from other prisoners who saw Edwin in the place where they were detained, in the state of Apure.
It is a known and public fact that Edwin was taken alive and was being held incommunicado. This is what his family reports. And this Friday Edwin’s body appears on the bridge over which he had publicly denounced on several occasions its poor condition and how this affected the community.
Given the facts, everything indicates this is not only an enforced disappearance, but also that the missing person has been found dead.
The Government’s version is that he had a traffic accident while riding his motorcycle. But the State must explain to Venezuela and to the world, how can someone who was detained and incommunicado in the headquarters of a security agency have a traffic accident?
The Government has also threatened to “investigate” those who denounce this atrocious disappearance and death. They intend to make their version of “reality” in Venezuela the only one. They announce that they will not tolerate other dissident versions and intend to prohibit reality if it does not suit them. A clear sign of their enormous desperation to silence citizen criticism.
As a society we cannot remain silent in the face of this horrendous event that evidences a state crime. Venezuelans and the international community must condemn this repressive wave with the utmost firmness.
Those of us historical militants of the diversity of leftist, progressive and humanist currents and movements in Venezuela, express our solidarity with Edwin’s family, comrades and friends, we will accompany their denunciations and the demand for justice and reparation, and we strongly condemn these practices that can only be denounced as State terrorism.
We demand the immediate release of all political prisoners and the immediate removal from their posts of the officers involved in this event, as well as an impartial investigation of the entire chain of command involved.
Likewise, we call on all democratic movements, parties and governments of the world to condemn this act with the utmost force, to demand an independent investigation, as established by the Istanbul Convention of 1999 and the Minnesota Protocol, and to denounce this escalation of violence and criminality that the Maduro government seems to be increasing.
Venezuela has dark hours of its history stained with State crimes in the name of democracy. Those crimes only strengthened the struggle for a different society. Those who appropriated that dream and dress today in the guise of leftist socialists, commit the same crimes that we have condemned in the past. It is crime in the name of a lie, a total falsification of reality and of the humanist sense of what was once our liberating dream.
Let us defend truth and freedom!
No more death and jail for the people!
Signatures
Adolfo Gonzalez
Adrian Ledesma
Alfredo Rosas
Ali Mauricio Gómez Rodríguez
Ana Borges
Ana T. Gómez
Andrés Izarra
Antonia Muñoz
Areani Cristina Bruzual
Arturo Alejandro Gómez Viera
Atenea Jimenez Lemon
Red Flag (Resistance)
Belkys Seijas
Belsaí Yánez D
Carlos Hermoso
Carlos Lozada
Carlos Mendoza Newman
Carlos Mendoza Potellá
Carlos Timaure
Carrero Pirela Mauro Antonio
César Bencomo
Darío Gómez Suarez
Dayana Nathaly Urbina Cornejo
Dick Guanique
Diego Armando Casanova Maita
Edgardo Lander
Edixon Antonio Herrera Sarmiento
Eduardo Torres
Elicinio Briceño
Elizabeth Rodriguez Ortega
Ember José Garrido
Fernando Aranguren
Fidel Jaramillo
Francisca Hernandez
Freddy Lucena
Gabriel Puerta
Gabriela Ramirez Perez
Gabriela Rodriguez
Gerardo Eliezer Olmos Aguilar
Giuseppe Giannetto
Golfredo Dávila
Griselda Barroso Morgado
Gustavo Marquez Marin
Hector Navarro
Hisvet Fernandez
Ismael De Jesús Roa González
Ismenia Brito Y.
United Left
Jannette Jimenez
Jesús F Medina Yanez
Jesús Noel Hermoso Fernández
Jesús Puerta
Jonatan Alzuru Aponte
Jorge Alejandro Rodriguez
Jose Camilo Prieto Garzón
José Gregorio González Meriño
José Miguel Romero
José Parra
José Rafael Herrera
José Teixeira
Juan Carlos Ayala
Juan Carlos Barrios
Larry Mejia
Lesmary Veloz
Luis Adelmo Álvarez
Luis Eduardo Albarrán Lacruz
Luis Fuenmayor Toro
Manuel Isidro Molina
Manuel Paredes
Manuel Sutherland
María Tovar
Mariano Crespo Colina
Marilú Enemecia Báez de Yánez
Marisela Betancourt
Milagros Urbano
Miriam Y. Ramirez
Movement for Democracy
Nada Khader
Nelly Prigorian
Nilse Nebreda DeMorales
Nimer Valles
Niuman Paez
Óscar Rodríguez Hernández
Patricia Parra
Pedro Arturo Moreno
Pedro Vicente García
Rafael Venegas
Raquel Figueroa
Raul Urbaneja
René Cedillo
René Daniel Enríquez
Roberto López Sánchez
Rodrigo Cabezas Morales
Ronald Muñoz
Samuel Bravo
Santiago Arconada Rodríguez
Sara Yolanda Romero Jara
Sergio Sanchez
Simón Eliézer González López
Wladimir Abreu
Yecenia Alvarez
Yuri Valecillo
Originally published by Provea
Translated by Venezuelanvoices.org
Venezuelan Voices 