Over the past ten years, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has extensively evaluated the continuous deepening deterioration of the rule of law, human rights, and democracy in Venezuela. Generally, the patterns of widespread and systematic human rights violations presented in reports of the ICJ, UN and OAS experts, and other civil society organizations have worsened.
Among these is the persistence of arbitrary pre-trial detention in violation of the right to liberty. In the vast majority of cases, victims of these practices are denied their right to a fair trial, including the right to legal counsel of their choice.
This briefing paper analyzes the law and practice applied by the Venezuelan authorities in cases of persons arbitrarily detained for the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The report is available here:
Released But Not Free: The abuse of arbitrary detentions and pre-trial measures to prosecute dissent in Venezuela