Eight members of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) were detained by the Venezuelan authorities on charges of participating in the “extrajudicial execution” of 21-year-old young man Dimirson Guzman Santaella in Okumare del Tui, 70 km south of Caracas.
The arrests took place by order of the prosecutor’s office after a video recorded by neighbors was posted on social networks, which shows how the police tied the victim up and shot him.
The victim was at home when the police arrived, threatened the family and took the young man out into the street…
After the murder, the police simulated a confrontation and took the victim to the hospital, who, according to local press reports, prepared a report informing his superiors that Dimirzon Guzman Santaella was armed and that he had fired at police officers.
According to Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab, police responsible for “extrajudicial execution” they will face charges of aggravated murder, aggravated assault and misuse of firearms.
“The Ministry of State will prosecute and punish in an exemplary manner any action that violates human rights (…) we disagree with what has happened, there has been a violation in the disproportionate and differential use of force,” Tarek William Saab said in a press release. conference in Caracas.
The prosecutor stressed that “in accordance with the basic principles of the use of force and firearms by officials, the willful use of lethal weapons can be committed only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.”
In March 2021, the UN International Mission investigating human rights violations in Venezuela announced that extrajudicial executions continued in the country. Police have committed over 200 murders since September 2020…
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council, Portugal’s Maria Valinas, President of the Mission, cited the January 2021 police operation in the La Vega area of the capital Caracas as “one of the deadliest”. to date ”, in which 650 agents took part and several murders were committed.
According to the Venezuelan Program of Action for the Prevention of Human Rights (Provea), the number of people killed by deliberate use of lethal force by police and military forces increased in 2020, mainly in so-called security operations in low-income areas. families live.
The NGO says it is aware of the circumstances surrounding the murder of 3,034 people, which is “44.33% more executions than in 2019, when 2,102 cases were reported.”
