Google Translate available in: Español

Image: A group protests for the release of political prisoners outside of El Helicoide prison. November 3, 2021. Caracas, Venezuela. AP Images/Ariana Cubillos.

On April 27, a group of 19 Venezuelan and international organizations including WOLA issued a letter to President of Argentina Alberto Fernández to express concern over the situation of human rights defender Javier Tarazona, who has been arbitrarily detained for several months. Tarazona, as well as two other members of the human rights organization Fundaredes, were detained in July 2021 after Fundaredes denounced various actions by the Venezuelan intelligence service and armed forces. While the other two members of Fundaredes were released from prison in October 2021, the charges against them have not been dropped and Tarazona remains in prison. The signing organizations call on President Fernández to appeal to the Venezuelan authorities to release Tarazona, whose deteriorating health condition in prison was documented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in her oral update on Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council in March.

Signing organizations:

Acción Solidaria
AlertaVenezuela
Amnistía Internacional
Caleidoscopio Humano
Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (CDH-UCAB)
Centro de derechos Humanos de la Universidad Metropolitana (CDH-UNIMET)
Centro de Justicia y Paz (CEPAZ)
Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ)
Civilis Derechos Humanos
Comisión Internacional de Juristas (CIJ)
Comité de Familiares de las Victimas de los Sucesos de Febrero-Marzo de 1989 (COFAVIC)
Espacio Público
Foro Penal
Fundación para el Debido Proceso (DPLF)
Human Rights Watch
Laboratorio de Paz
Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea)
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
Un Mundo sin Mordaza

Read the full letter in Spanish here.