[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6iVmJFTplSAK5-SmlOakA-D8NyQ","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__312211__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"312211","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/312211","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__312211__en","pager_element":0}}},"csp":{"nonce":"j82mwvJRpTcFI7GbmN6fwg"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"bc8921424f39d39c64af84232b603fadae46f840a8176c1b2436a5ee00791ac5"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_AJtnZDRKiPcDwZRF9CRxhLi7MMNATzBRLvIhNfcurrs.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNFLzEqs0CnLTC0v1geTern5KaU5qQDy8w2e"}]},{"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__312211__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__312211__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 November 27, Tarek William Saab, the attorney general appointed by Maduro\u2019s Constituent Assembly after it fired Luisa Ortega D\u00edaz, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AI9yRet1qdg\u0022\u003Estated\u003C\/a\u003E that \u201canyone who has a release order signed and dully sealed by the court has to be freed.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESaab was responding to a question about the case of 14 police officers, 12 men and 2 women, who belong to the municipal police force of Chacao, a municipality in Caracas. The officers, who had been \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cuentasclarasdigital.org\/2016\/06\/ministro-del-interior-14-polichacaos-implicados-en-homicidio-del-periodista-ricardo-duran\/\u0022\u003Eaccused\u003C\/a\u003E by then interior minister Gustavo Gonz\u00e1lez L\u00f3pez of being involved in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/2016\/01\/20\/asesinan-al-periodista-ricardo-duran-jefe-de-prensa-del-gobierno-de-caracas\/\u0022\u003Emurder\u003C\/a\u003E of journalist Ricardo Duran on January 19, 2016, were detained on June 20 that year. Gonz\u00e1lez L\u00f3pez is currently the head of the Bolivarian Service of National Intelligence (SEBIN).\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDuran was one of the most high-profile pro-government journalists at the time. He had served as chief of communications of the National Assembly (then controlled by the government official party) and had been an anchor of the official television station, \u003Cem\u003EVenezolana de Television\u003C\/em\u003E. At the time of his death he was head of communications of the Caracas government under Jorge Rodr\u00edguez, a Maduro regime supporter.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProsecutors assigned to the case found no evidence to incriminate the 14 police officers and in early August requested a court to order their release. A judge signed the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/los14polichacao\/status\/895052354860482560\u0022\u003Erelease order\u003C\/a\u003E on August 8, 2016, but, 16 months later, the 14 officers remain arbitrarily imprisoned at SEBIN headquarters in Caracas called \u201cEl Helicoide.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe youngest of the group is 26-year-old Angel Alfonso S\u00e1nchez, who inside El Helicoide was reportedly severely beaten with a board by SEBIN agents in front of the rest of the group. Angel\u2019s sister, Marilyn S\u00e1nchez, told Human Rights Watch that Angel thought he would die while he was being beaten and that he was unable to stand up for weeks after the beating. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a letter reviewed by Human Rights Watch, the detainees claim that several of them have been subjected to different torture techniques in SEBIN headquarters while being interrogated to force them to incriminate themselves in Duran\u2019s killing. The torture has included asphyxiation with plastic bags that smelled as if they had insecticide in them, being hanged, and being subjected to electric shocks. Family members who saw them claim they all have severe physical and psychological scars from the abuses, according to their lawyer. Family members are extremely concerned about their health, which they claim continues to deteriorate rapidly due to the appalling detention conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOn June 24, several of the detainees began a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/los14polichacao\/status\/878912955420692480\u0022\u003Ehunger strike\u003C\/a\u003E. The officers said that in retaliation, SEBIN authorities placed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/los14polichacao\/status\/881157221882744833\u0022\u003Eother prisoners\u003C\/a\u003E with them in the room where the strike was taking place, which is particularly dangerous considering that the hunger strikers are police officers. SEBIN agents also placed containers with excrement and urine in the room and denied the detainees access to the bathroom, according to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/los14polichacao\u0022\u003Eofficial twitter\u003C\/a\u003E account kept by the detained police officers\u2019 family members and lawyers. The officers have ended the hunger strike.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the lawyers who represents the 14 detainees told Human Rights Watch that the courts have rejected every motion filed in their favor. The lawyer added \u201cit all boils down to this: every time the clerk goes to SEBIN to deliver the [August 2016] release order, he is informed that the Director of SEBIN has not authorized that the order be received.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHuman Rights Watch has \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/report\/2017\/11\/29\/crackdown-dissent\/brutality-torture-and-political-persecution-venezuela\u0022\u003Edenounced\u003C\/a\u003E the fact that dozens of other prisoners in Venezuela have remained arbitrarily detained, despite having a release order issued by a court, in clear violation of Venezuelan and international law.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022twitter-tweet\u0022 data-lang=\u0022en\u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 lang=\u0022es\u0022 xml:lang=\u0022es\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/URGENTE?src=hash\u0026amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003E#URGENTE\u003C\/a\u003E SOMOS INOCENTES NO SOMOS DELINCUENTES \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/t.co\/rOOT64Ibvt\u0022\u003Epic.twitter.com\/rOOT64Ibvt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\t\u2014 los 14 polichacao (@los14polichacao) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/los14polichacao\/status\/887796509466558464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\u0022\u003EJuly 19, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cscript async src=\u0022https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\u0022 charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\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__312211__en","data":"","settings":null}]