NGO requests humanitarian release for Colombians detained in Venezuela after earthquake
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (CLIPP), a Venezuelan non-governmental organization, has raised its voice to demand the immediate release, on humanitarian grounds, of 19 Colombian citizens who remain deprived of liberty in Venezuela for political reasons. This request arises in response to the national emergency that Colombia is experiencing following the powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake recently recorded, which has left a preliminary toll of at least 169 dead.
Through an official statement, the organization emphasized the urgent need to restore contact between these detainees and their relatives in the neighboring country. According to CLIPP reports, only a dozen of those affected have managed to establish telephone communication from the Rodeo I penitentiary center, leaving the others in a situation of total uncertainty regarding the well-being of their loved ones.
Demands in the face of the crisis
- Guarantee the right to information about the situation in Colombia.
- Ensure consular protection and specialized medical attention.
- Allow the entry of international organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify the conditions of detention.
It is up to the Governments of Venezuela and Colombia to act. Freedom also saves lives and, in the face of the suffering of families, there can be no indifference. Humanitarian freedom for the Colombians detained in Venezuela.
Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (CLIPP)
Security concerns in penitentiary centers
The organization has previously denounced that conditions at Rodeo I are precarious in the face of seismic events. The CLIPP recalled that, following the earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24, the detainees did not have evacuation protocols, remaining locked in their cells. Likewise, they denounced that, upon attempting to question the structural safety of the facilities after those events, the inmates were subjected to repressive measures.
For its part, the recent earthquake in Colombia, with its epicenter in the municipality of San José del Palmar, has generated a large-scale crisis with significant damage in key departments. Cities such as Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia remain on red alert, reporting more than 160 collapsed buildings and hundreds of injured people, which adds urgency to the NGO’s request to facilitate the reunification or communication of detainees with their families during this time of national mourning.
