[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJxLzSvJLKmMT81NSk3RT04sKMnMz9Mpy0wtL9YHk3qJWYkVKAK5-SmlOakAd1UWCw","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305672__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"305672","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/305672","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305672__en","pager_element":0}}},"csp":{"nonce":"HvcM4Yu6OYy1oUNghI-lEw"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"bc8921424f39d39c64af84232b603fadae46f840a8176c1b2436a5ee00791ac5"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_0NYPiYAC1am61VpH598-R8NRPCwyE7t5uytOQHLDaVE.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNFLzEqs0EnNK8ksqYxPzU1KTdFPTiwoyczP0ynLTC0v1geTern5KaU5qQBrXRXg"}]},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_7GbWztuBweZEbeVKvCVvKTpgTEEPI7Neswq3falsXOA.js?scope=footer\u0026delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6iVmJFQA22wZe"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305672__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305672__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe number of Venezuelans moving legally to Argentina has more than doubled every year since 2014, reaching a total of 35,600 in May 2017, immigration authorities told Human Rights Watch.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2014, 2,600 Venezuelans obtained authorization to stay in Argentina, 5,800 did so in 2015, 12,800 in 2016, and 14,400 did so between January and May 2017. Immigration authorities told Human Rights Watch that there are even more Venezuelans in the country, including those who have yet to file their paperwork and others who began the process but do not have all documentation necessary to request their legal permits. Several Venezuelans told Human Rights Watch that it has become extremely difficult to get the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry to provide the legal certification (or \u003Cem\u003Eapostille\u003C\/em\u003E) of Venezuelan documents that Argentine authorities require.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHere are some accounts relayed to Human Rights Watch of Venezuelans who fled the crisis and are now living in Buenos Aires:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32435\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_betancourt.jpg?itok=jVFJsZIW 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_betancourt.jpg?itok=FzfNe7aW 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u00221261\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_betancourt.jpg?itok=FzfNe7aW\u0022 alt=\u0022Gabriel Betancourt, a 23-year-old recent law graduate and activist with the opposition party Popular Will.\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EGabriel Betancourt\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGabriel Betancourt, a 23-year-old recent law graduate and activist with the opposition party Popular Will, said that he coordinated Popular Will\u2019s work in low-income neighborhoods in Caracas, including the distribution of medicines to those in need, and contributed to organizing anti-government demonstrations. In May 2016, another opposition activist publicly thanked him for his work for the first time\u2014until then, his work had been very low-profile. Betancourt then started receiving threatening text messages telling him to \u201cbe careful,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe following month, Betancourt attended an anti-government demonstration near his home. When he tried to stop members of the National Guard from detaining someone he knew, the officers handcuffed him and threw him inside an official vehicle, he said. They pointed a gun at his head and threatened to kill him, tried to choke him, and stuck a nail into one of his fingers. \u201cYou will see what\u2019s good,\u201d Betancourt said they told him. Betancourt was driven to a pro-government neighborhood, where the vehicle stopped in front of a supermarket, he said, and he heard people scream, \u201cKill him!\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBetancourt was driven to a former police headquarters from which, he said, members of an armed pro-government group operated. When they arrived, members of the National Guard kicked him in the back to get him out of the vehicle and forced him into a room where three other men were locked inside what looked like a cage, he said. The officers asked the three men if they were \u003Cem\u003Echavistas\u003C\/em\u003E, and then told them, \u201cHere\u2019s an \u003Cem\u003Eescu\u00e1lido!\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d\u2014a pejorative term for members of the opposition. National Guardsmen stole Betancourt\u2019s personal belongings, including his watch and wallet, forced him to kneel in the urine and excrement covering the floor, and repeatedly beat him. Members of the armed pro-government group witnessed the abuses, and threatened him with their firearms, Betancourt said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBetancourt was again forced into an official vehicle, where an officer continued to beat him with a wooden stick. National Guardsmen drove him back to where the demonstration had taken place, and the officers let him go. Betancourt said he fled home, and then went to see a doctor. Two medical reports reviewed by Human Rights Watch, including an official one from the Venezuelan Attorney General\u2019s Office, confirm he had bruises on his neck, arms, wrists, and right ankle. The official medical report also mentions an injury to a finger.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThat same day, Betancourt filed a complaint requesting that the Attorney General\u2019s Office investigate the incident, according to official documentation reviewed by Human Rights Watch. In Buenos Aires, several months later, Betancourt told Human Rights Watch he did not know what had happened with the investigation, and feared asking anyone to check its status.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBetancourt said he spent some time hiding, and decided to leave the country after he suspected he was being followed and his mother received death threats. He arrived in Buenos Aires in August, thanks to a friend who paid for his ticket and offered him a place to stay.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBetancourt lives with his girlfriend, Giovanna Battista, a 23-year-old recent graduate who studied international relations and moved to Buenos Aires in December to be able to work in her field.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32433\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_alfaro.jpg?itok=2lMkLhjs 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_alfaro.jpg?itok=ornFspmr 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u0022710\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_alfaro.jpg?itok=ornFspmr\u0022 alt=\u0022Anacelis Alfaro, a 51-year-old activist from the opposition party Popular Will who earned her living organizing events for a private university in Lara State.\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EAnacelis Alfaro\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnacelis Alfaro, a 51-year-old activist from the opposition party Popular Will who earned her living organizing events for a private university in Lara State, gave a speech in December 2016 celebrating the role of women in politics, mentioning jailed politician Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, and urging hope in what she called grim times. A few days later, while she was out of town, police showed up at her home with a warrant to look for \u201cposters and signs\u201d and any other evidence of \u201ccriminal interest.\u201d The warrant didn\u2019t specify the crime. A neighbor warned Alfaro, a friend fetched her passport, and\u2014after a week hiding in friends\u2019 homes\u2014she was able to fly to Buenos Aires. There, after months of getting her papers in order and seeking work, she now cooks in a fast food restaurant. \u201cI felt like a coward,\u201d Alfaro said, tears welling as she recalled her exodus. But she added, \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be in jail, because in jail, I am useless.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32434\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_lazardi.jpg?itok=FuNw_wcl 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_lazardi.jpg?itok=ehHeTT9- 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u00221201\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201706americas_venezuela_lazardi.jpg?itok=ehHeTT9-\u0022 alt=\u0022Napole\u00f3n Lazardi, a 27-year old economist and opposition activist.\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003ENapole\u00f3n Lazardi\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003ENapole\u00f3n Lazardi, a 27-year old economist and opposition activist, said he fled Caracas in May 2017 when he started receiving death threats after publishing open letters to OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and the Venezuelan Armed Forces criticizing the situation in the country. Lazardi said he had been included in a government list of political opponents banned from purchasing flights from the government-owned airline Conviasa. Leaving home with US$100, Lazardi took a nine-day bus trip to reach Buenos Aires, where he is now living off of friends\u2019 hospitality while searching for a job.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EJorge P\u00e9rez (pseudonym), a retired university professor who used to work at the National Electoral Council, moved to Buenos Aires in October 2016, following his 20-year-old daughter who decided to flee insecurity and the prospect of not being able to earn enough money to cover her expenses when she graduated from the university. P\u00e9rez said in Venezuela he had to spend hours standing in line to buy food, which he didn\u2019t always get, and to change the dose of his medicines for hypertension because he often couldn\u2019t find the one he needed. P\u00e9rez, his wife, and daughter have obtained legal permits to stay in Argentina, despite delays caused by the difficulty of obtaining all documentation from Venezuela. He\u2019s now teaching in Buenos Aires, and his daughter is studying communications at a local university while working in a nail salon.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__305672__en","data":"","settings":null}]