Venezuelan’s security services accused of mass executions, torture and illegal arrests of the region’s residents on the border with Colombia. It is reported by Associated Press.
According to the international human rights organization “Human Rights Watch” (HRW), on March 21, the security forces participated in the operations against Columbian rebels in the border state of Apurate. They have repeatedly showed violence and aggression against ordinary peasants who are not related to criminal forces.
According to the version recorded in the HRW report, the attack may stand competing with the rebels grouping with connections in Venezuela security bodies. The goal of a criminal organization is to suppress competitors and strengthen control over drug trafficking in the region.
After surgery in Apurate, six thousand people were forced to flee into Araukita – a major city in Colombia. Until today, shelters is overflowing, and access to medical care and resources is difficult for many refugees. After messages about abuses, the Country Prosecutor General promised to investigate the situation, but the case was not advanced.
“Outrageous abuses against apour residents are not individual incidents from agents, but correspond to the systematic practice of the Venezuelan Security Forces,” said José Miguel Vivanko, director HRW in the United States. He stressed that such cases need to be investigated at the international level to bring all the perpetrators to the responsibility, including commanders.
In 2016, the Colombian government concluded a peace treaty with the revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) – a major criminal association. Before concluding an agreement, FARC participants organized terrorist acts and attacks, kidnapped people and engaged in drug trafficking. Parties managed to agree and peacefully coexist in common territories. However, due to disagreements inside movement, some gang members returned to weapons again.