[{"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__308974__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"308974","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/308974","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__308974__en","pager_element":0}}},"csp":{"nonce":"xvs58CcM9TRVaK41NDSIDg"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"bc8921424f39d39c64af84232b603fadae46f840a8176c1b2436a5ee00791ac5"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_ttdgUoxkB-pbINT5dW1cMh3IgYOCVTjCJ6Cp-XWwa0k.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNFLzEqs0EnNK8ksqYxPzU1KTdFPTiwoyczP0ynLTC0v1geTern5KaU5qQBrXRXg"}]},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VAWKYxPX4vFoyXs0iEPUrnc99CjyNLIu_pZawjEz9i8.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__308974__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__308974__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\u003EOn July 6, members of the Bolivarian National Police detained Carlos Julio Rojas, a journalist and activist who collaborates with two nongovernmental organizations that organize residents of certain Caracas neighborhoods, as he was walking down the street in Caracas. Rojas told Human Rights Watch that the agents stopped him and, after he gave them his ID and press credentials, said they had an arrest warrant for him and forced him into a police car.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOnce inside the car, Rojas heard a voice on speaker phone, which he recognized as that of Interior and Justice Minister N\u00e9stor Reverol, saying: \u201cI want Carlos Julio\u2019s cellphone.\u201d The officers took the phone, and he never saw it again, Rojas said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERojas was taken from one place to another for hours\u2014a practice called \u201cspinning around\u201d or \u201c\u003Cem\u003Eruletear\u003C\/em\u003E\u201d in Venezuela\u2014until he was taken to a police station where he was placed in a 2x2 cell with no bathroom or natural light, commonly known as the \u201clittle tiger\u201d (\u003Cem\u003Etigrito\u003C\/em\u003E). Officers later forced Rojas out and into an office in what appears to have been an attempt to frame him: there were several teargas canisters on a table in the office and officers beat him until they managed to take a picture of him beside the canisters, Rojas said. The picture that was finally taken shows Rojas\u2019 back, and not his face, which had bruises, according to Rojas.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERojas says he spent three days in prison, until he was taken before a military court on July 10. Only then was he able to see his family and lawyer, with whom he could only speak for five minutes before the hearing. Rojas was accused of throwing teargas canisters at a Red Cross installation, and charged with rebellion, treason, and stealing military objects, he said. Rojas told Human Rights Watch that the time prosecutors gave for the incident at the Red Cross installation waswas after he had already been detained. A military judge nonetheless ordered his continued detention, this time at the Ramo Verde military prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile being held, Rojas repeatedly tried to draw attention to poor detention conditions in Ramo Verde through comments he or other inmates made to visitors to the prison. In response, the prison director sanctioned him various times and sent him to a 2m x 2m isolation cell with no natural light, where he spent a total of 21 days. Rojas claims the prison director once sanctioned him for refusing to sign a document falsely incriminating him in instigating a prison riot in Ramo Verde. When he was not in the isolation cell, he slept in a room with another 115 prisoners, with only about 40 mattresses shared between them and only two toilets and a single shower. Rojas said they received limited and bad quality food; he estimates that they got 60 grams of food per meal.\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\/33270\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\/201708americas_venezuela_juliorojas.jpg?itok=wiIY-0VL 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_juliorojas.jpg?itok=SRnV-IAZ 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\/201708americas_venezuela_juliorojas.jpg?itok=SRnV-IAZ\u0022 alt=\u0022Carlos Julio Rojas\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\u003ECarlos Julio Rojas\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\u003EWhen his mother and girlfriend managed to visit, they were stripped naked and prison guards searched their bodies before allowing them to enter.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOn August 24, Rojas was taken before a judge for the preliminary hearing in which prosecutors are supposed to charge detainees with crimes. Even though the military prosecutor did not charge him with any crimes, the military judge nonetheless ruled that Rojas would be subject to precautionary measures\u2014which are typically adopted, under Venezuelan law, to ensure that a person accused of committing a crime appears before a court. Rojas said he must now present himself before the military court every 30 days, cannot talk to the media about his case, and cannot participate in \u201cpolitical meetings for the purpose of engaging in conspiracy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeing a journalist and a social activist makes you a criminal,\u201d Rojas told Human Rights Watch.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\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__308974__en","data":"","settings":null}]