URGENT ACTION
journalist beaten and threatened
Horacio Giusti, a journalist and volunteer press officer has reported beingbeaten. This attack appears to be directly linked to his work at the Venezuelan Penal Forum (Foro Penal Venezolano),a lawyers’ network that has represented hundreds of people detained during anti-government protests.
On 28 April,Horacio Giusti, a journalist and volunteer press officer forthe Venezuelan Penal Forum(Foro Penal Venezolano) was beaten by two men on motorbikes in the capital, Caracas.The men asked him to identify himself and then hit him. This attack appears to be directly linked to his work at the Venezuelan Penal Forum, an organization that has represented hundreds of people detained during anti-government protests, many of whom were victims of arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment. Horacio Giusti has reported the attack to the Public Ministry. To date he has not been granted protection.
According to Horacio Giusti’s testimony, on the days prior to this attack he had been threatened on two separate occasions. On 15 April Horacio Giusti was leaving a press conference organized by the Venezuelan Penal Forum, when two men on motorbikes pointed at him in an intimidating manner. Ten days later he found a threatening note on the front door of his house that read: “Warning, keep playing the star journalist and you will end up crashed. You know you are in the spotlight, don’t cross the line. Be responsible. Do not make a mistake”. When he tried to report these incidents to the Public Prosecutor’s office and the police,Horacio Giusti was told that they could not file his complaint as he was unable to identify the alleged perpetrators and no crime had been committed.
Members of the Venezuelan Penal Forum have frequently been disparaged by the President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, in his weekly television program “Con el Mazo Dando”. On 17 March the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued precautionary measures on behalf of members of Venezuelan Penal Forum, including its director Alfredo Romero. In spite of this, members have reported that to date, they have received no protection from the authorities and they continue to face harassment.
Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:
Urging the authorities to take all appropriate measures to guarantee the right to life and physical integrity of Horacio Giusti, in accordance with his wishes; and calling on them to order a full and impartial investigation into the attack against him which appears to be in reprisal for his work at the Venezuelan Penal Forum;
Calling on them to ensure that all human rights defenders and lawyers who have been the target of threats, harassment or attacksas a result of their work receive full protection according to their wishes and comprehensive investigations are carried out into their complaints;
Urging them to explicitly recognize the legitimacy of the work of human rights defenders. This must include public declarations recognizing their contribution to the promotion of human rights.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 3 JULY 2015 TO:
Vice President
Sr. Jorge Arreaza
Vicepresidencia de la Republica
Av. Urdaneta, Esquina de Carmelitas, Caracas, Venezuela
Email: via website
Twitter:@jaarreaza
Salutation: Señor Vicepresidente/
Dear Vice President
Attorney General of the Republic
Dra. Luisa Ortega Díaz
Edificio Sede Principal del Ministerio Público, Esquinas de Misericordia a Pele El Ojo Avenida México
Caracas, Venezuela
Email:
Fax: 011 58 212 578 3239
Salutation: Dra. Fiscal/ Dear Attorney General
And copies to:
Ombudsman
Tarek William Saab
Defensor del Pueblo
Av. Urdaneta - Frente a El Universal
Centro Financiero Latino, Piso 27
Caracas, Venezuela
Fax: 011 58 212 5077025
Email:
Also send copies to:
Charge de Affairs Maximilien Sanchez Arvelaiz, Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th St. NW, Washington DC 20007
Fax: 1 202 342 6820 I Phone: 1 202 342 2214 I Email: OR
Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact! EITHER send a short email to with "UA 115/15" in
the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent, OR fill out this short online formto let us know how you took action. Thank you for taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
journalist beaten and threatened
ADditional Information
Human rights defenders and lawyers representing victims of human rights violations have repeatedly expressed concern to Amnesty International that in a society as polarized as that in Venezuela, the ongoing attacks and smear campaigns on the part of the authorities at the highest level could incite government sympathizers, including pro-government armed groups, to carry out physical attacks on them.
The harassment of lawyers representing victims of human rights violations is inbreach of the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers that states the authorities have an obligation to ensure that lawyers are able to fulfil all their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference and to ensure that lawyers are adequately safeguarded when their security is threatened as a result of discharging their functions.
The continuous attacks, smear campaigns and intimidation directed toward human rights defenders in Venezuela have in some cases intensified as a result of the 2014 protests and the work of human rights defenders in defending the rights of the hundreds of victims of torture and other ill-treatment, excessive use of force and arbitrary detentions.To date, theVenezuelan authorities have failed to take action to bring those responsible to justice and to guarantee that human rights defenders can carry out their work without fear of reprisals.
Recognizing those who defend human rights as human rights defenders has nothing to do with conferring a special status on them, rather it is about adopting concrete protection measures. States have the same obligation to protect and respect the human rights of defenders as they do to protect and respect the human rights of everyone in their jurisdiction, as the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders states.
However, states also have an obligation to create and implement special mechanisms to protect defenders from abuses inflicted on them for exercising their rights. Firstly, those who defend human rights must be recognized as human rights defenders and their work must be recognized as an important part of creating the rule of law. Secondly, the authorities must take specific measures to address the risks they face because of their human rights work or arising from it in order to ensure that they provide the necessary conditions for defenders to carry out their work. States also have an obligation to ensure that they undertake effective investigations and bring to justice those responsible for abuses.
Amnesty International considers that, to date, the Venezuelan authorities have failed to fulfil their obligation to ensure the protection of human rights defenders and victims of human rights violations who lodge complaints, their families and legal representatives.
Name: Horacio Giusti(m)
Issues: Human rights defender, Fear for safety, Freedom of expression
UANetworkOfficeAIUSA| 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE,WashingtonDC 20003
T.202.509.8193 | F.202.546.7142 | | amnestyusa.org/urgent
UA: 115/15
Issue Date: 22 May 2015
Country: Venezuela
UANetworkOfficeAIUSA| 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE,WashingtonDC 20003
T.202.509.8193 | F.202.546.7142 | | amnestyusa.org/urgent