Karen Caruci

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2022-077-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2022
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 6.42375

Longitude: -66.58973

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Venezuela
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • OHCHR: OHCHR - General
  • OHCHR: OHCHR Field office
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

Ms. Caruci represents alleged victims of torture, cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment presumably perpetrated by State security agents.

Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

Ms. Caruci was questioned about her engagement with the UN and asked whether she was remunerated by the UN for sharing information on human rights violations.

Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Venezuela
Reprisal information
  1. According to information received by OHCHR, on 10 March 2022, Ms. Karen Caruci, human rights lawyer who had reportedly been subjected to arbitrary detention and torture or ill-treatment in December 2020 (VEN 7/2021), was re-arrested in relation to her exposure on social media of corruption in the Lara state branch of the Attorney General Office. Reportedly, Ms. Caruci was questioned about her engagement with the UN and asked whether she was remunerated by the UN for sharing information on human rights violations. Ms. Caruci represents alleged victims of torture, cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment presumably perpetrated by State security agents. In April 2021, a first-instance criminal court granted Ms. Caruci national protection measures. On 11 March 2022, a judge from the Caracas-based Third Special Court of First Instance on Terrorism reportedly confirmed the charge of incitement to hatred against Ms. Caruci, and she was conditionally released the same day, pending investigation. OHCHR is monitoring the case and in contact with relevant authorities.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No