arrested minors were allegedly victims of torture – Libération

After the protests following the July 28 elections, 68 minors are currently detained in Venezuela. Several families denounce acts of torture and detention conditions marked by malnutrition.

In Venezuela, repression even affects minors. Arrested on July 29 and 30 during demonstrations against the contested re-election of Nicolás Maduro, seven teenagers, aged 15 to 17, are still detained today and have even been tortured, according to their families. This is what revealed The Carabobeño, a local Venezuelan newspaper, October 2. That day, the seven minors were presented, remotely, for their preliminary hearing without ever having been able to benefit from a private defense. They are accused of “terrorism” and“incitement to hatred”.

The same charge targets all those arrested for demonstrating according to the Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal, in the wake of the electoral crisis sparked by the victory of the Chavista president. According to the National Electoral Council, committed to his cause, he would have won with 52% of the votes. But the opposition immediately cried fraud and claimed to have won, with supporting minutes. Since then, the government has never presented the proof of its supposed triumph and initiated a massive repression which