Jairo Johan Ortiz Bustamante (2 September 1997-6 April 2017) was a Venezuelan student. Ortiz was the first person killed during the 2017 protests in Venezuela.
Jairo Ortiz was a student at the Universidad Experimental Politécnica (UNEXPO) in Caracas. On 6 April 2017, he was shot while participating in a demonstration held in Carrizal, in Miranda state, dying at the age of 19. The independent investigation carried out by the Public Ministry determined that the shots were fired by a Bolivarian National Police official, Rohenluis Leonel Rojas Mara, who drew his regulation weapon and fired multiple shots at a group of 81 young people, despite the constitutional rule that prohibits the use of firearms to control demonstrations. [1]
The killing of Jairo Ortiz was documented in a report by a panel of independent experts from the Organization of American States, considering that it could constitute a crime against humanity committed in Venezuela along with other killings during the protests. [1]
The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. SEBIN is an internal security force subordinate to the Vice President of Venezuela since 2012 and is dependent on Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. SEBIN has been described as the political police force of the Bolivarian government.
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela is a Venezuelan orchestra. Named after the Venezuelan national hero Simón Bolívar, it was initially the apex of the nation's system of youth orchestras. By 2011, it was no longer officially a youth orchestra as many of its members remained with the orchestra and the average age had risen to the early 20s. It was replaced as the national youth orchestra by the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra.
Censorship in Venezuela refers to all actions which can be considered as suppression in speech in the country. More recently, Reporters Without Borders ranked Venezuela 159th out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index 2023 and classified Venezuela's freedom of information in the "very difficult situation" level.
The 2017 Venezuelan protests began in late January following the abandonment of Vatican-backed dialogue between the Bolivarian government and the opposition. The series of protests originally began in February 2014 when hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans protested due to high levels of criminal violence, inflation, and chronic scarcity of basic goods because of policies created by the Venezuelan government though the size of protests had decreased since 2014. Following the 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis, protests began to increase greatly throughout Venezuela.
Neomar Alejandro Lander Armas was a Venezuelan barman and protester killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Tamara Sujú Roa is a Venezuelan criminal lawyer and human rights specialist.
El Helicoide is a building in Caracas, Venezuela owned by the Venezuelan government and used as a facility and prison for both regular and political prisoners of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN). In the shape of a three-sided pyramid, it was originally constructed as a shopping mall, but never completed.
Torture in Venezuela has been a consistent phenomenon throughout its history. Various dictatorships from the Spanish colonial era into the twentieth century utilized torture against common criminals and political opponents. In the twentieth century, torture was common during the dictatorships of Juan Vicente Gómez and Marcos Pérez Jiménez. Torture also took place occasionally during Venezuela's democratic period, particularly during social outbursts, such as during the Caracazo and the 1992 coup attempts.
A preliminary examination by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to analyze possible crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela is currently open. A preliminary examination was previously opened in 2006, but closed after concluding that the requirements to start an investigation had not been met. In February 2018, the ICC announced that it would open preliminary probes into alleged crimes against humanity performed by Venezuelan authorities since at least April 2017. In 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC stated that it believed there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that "since at least April 2017, civilian authorities, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals have committed the crimes against humanity", and on 2021 ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced the opening of an investigation regarding the situation in the country.
Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera was a student and basketball player killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests. On 24 May the Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, declared that an investigation by the Public Ministry concluded that Pernalete died as the result of the impact in his chest of a tear gas canister fired by a National Guardsman. While government officials and pro-government outlets initially alleged that Pernalete had been killed with a captive bolt pistol by fellow protesters, in 2021 Tarek William Saab, Luisa Ortega's successor, acknowledged that Pernelte was killed by a tear gas canister fired by the National Guard.
Paola Andreína Ramírez Gómez was a Venezuelan student from the Catholic University of Tachira killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Armando Cañizales Carrillo was a Venezuelan violist member of the National Symphony Orchestra System killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Miguel Castillo Bracho was a Venezuelan social communicator who was killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Paúl René Moreno Camacho was a Venezuelan student and Green Cross volunteer killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Fabián Urbina was a Venezuelan protester killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
David José Vallenilla Luis was a Venezuelan student killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests.
Xiomara Soledad Scott was a Venezuelan nurse killed during the 2017 protests in Venezuela.
Geraldin Moreno Orozco was a Venezuelan protester murdered during the 2014 Venezuelan protests.
Guarimba is a term colloquially used in Venezuela for a protest method primarily used by the Venezuelan opposition that involves erecting street barricades or roadblocks. Although the erection of barricades in Venezuela dates back decades, the term has gained relevance during protests against the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, when it has become a pejorative and stigmatizing term. Venezuelan officials have used the term to disqualify and criminalize the opposition or opposition demonstrations.
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