Foro Penal Venezolano

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2015-040-002
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2015
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
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
19 February 2015
Type of record
Named organization
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

a non-governmental organization representing victims of arbitrary detention and torture,

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

Mr. Romero travelled to Geneva in November 2014 to meet with representatives of the United Nations human rights system.

Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Dates of engagement
November 2014
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
Dates of mentioned reprisals
After return
Reprisal information

After his return, he, his family and the organization Foro Penal Venezolano were mentioned repeatedly on a Venezuelan television programme, “Con el Mazo Dando”, during which they were reportedly referred to as conspirators against the system in the light of their cooperation with international human rights instruments and suspected of receiving funding from foreign countries. In addition, Foro Penal Venezolano reportedly received anonymous threats via Twitter.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
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?
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
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
2
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2022
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. According to information received by OHCHR, during the reporting period several NGOs and their staff included in previous reports have continued to be exposed to on-line attacks and stigmatization from Government-affiliated online portals in connection with or following their cooperation with the UN. The NGOs concerned are Provea, the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS) and Foro Penal. These NGOs have been portrayed as conspiring against the country, encouraging an agenda of aggression against the country, and of publishing false accusations.
Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 0
No
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2024
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. According to information received by OHCHR, during the period, several NGOs and their staff included in previous reports of the Secretary-General185 continued to be exposed to digital attacks and to stigmatisation by Government-affiliated online accounts in connection to their engagement with United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms. The NGOs concerned are Provea, the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS) and Foro Penal. These NGOs have been portrayed as presenting unfounded, biased and malicious reports in the Human Rights Council aiming to discredit and attack the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.
Followup Trends 1
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 1
No