he Government of Canada On Tuesday, February 13, it joined countries and international organizations that expressed their concern about… the prison Human rights activist and president of the non-governmental organization Control Ciudadano, Rocio San Miguel.
Since her arrest on February 9 until Tuesday, she is known to have been detained at the El Helicoide headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin). For five days, she and five members of her family remained in a state of enforced disappearance.
Only on Sunday, February 11, did the Public Prosecution confirm her arrest and two days later her lawyers confirmed that she was in El Heliquid, but her defense team was unable to reach her and did not allow her to use private lawyers when they presented her. In a court in Caracas.
What did Canada say about Rocío San Miguel?
“Canada joins those expressing concern about the arrest of Rocio San Miguel and other human rights defenders in Venezuela,” the North American country’s embassy wrote on its account on the social media network
As they demanded in the same post.”Full implementation of the Barbados Agreement“, an agreement reached by Chavista and the Venezuelan opposition combined in the Unitary Democratic Program on October 17, 2023 in the capital of this Caribbean country.
This agreement guarantees the holding of presidential elections in the second half of 2024, as well as a series of commitments to allow the selection of candidates, according to the standards of each political organization and a series of vital steps so that the elections are competitive.
However, since the Political and Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) Maria Corina Machado was disqualified For exercising public office for 15 years, last January, Chavismo and the Platform accused each other of violating this document.
Moreover, in this context, three activists from Machado's party, Vente Venezuela, who had been missing for 22 days on February 14, were arrested, and Rocío San Miguel and her former partner Alejandro González de Canales were arrested.
To his daughter, Miranda Diaz San Miguel, to my activist brother, Miguel And Albert Father of Saint Michael and Miranda, Victor DiazThey were released from prison and measures were imposed on them prohibiting them from leaving the country, appearing periodically before court, and not testifying before the media. Like Rocío San Miguel, they spent five days in forced disappearance incommunicado.
Before Canada, statements in support of the human rights defender came from the United States, through the European Union and organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Organization of American States.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for his immediate release, condemned his enforced disappearance and also expressed concern about his arrest.
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