Case History: PROVEA
On 21 August 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared on national television and made hostile statements agsinst human rights organisation Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos – PROVEA
Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en Derechos Humanos – Provea (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action on Human Rights) works to improve already existing initiatives and to develop new programmes in the defence of human rights, focusing in particular on social, economic and cultural rights. It also works to promote the diffusion of human rights principles in Venezuela and to support victims of human rights violations. It was established in Caracas in October 1988.
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- About
- 7 October 2015 : Aggravated robbery of human rights defender Marino Alvarado
- 28 August 2015 : President makes hostile statements against human rights organisation Provea
- 29 May 2015 : Government illegally intercepts NGO communications
- 27 March 2015 : New Threats and Intimidation Against Human Rights Defenders
- 23 December 2014 : New defamatory statements aimed at impeding the work of human rights defenders
- 23 April 2013 : Smear campaign against human rights organisation Provea
- 14 February 2014 : Defamation campaign against human rights defender Mr Humberto Prado Sifontes and arbitrary detention of Mr Inti Rodriguez
On 1 October 2015, at approximately 5:30 pm, human rights defender Mr Marino Alvarado, along with his nine-year-old son, was subjected to an aggravated robbery in his home.
The incident follows public declarations by the President, Nicolas Maduro, against the human rights defender made on television in August 2015.
Marino Alvarado is the ex general coordinator of human rights organisation Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en Derechos Humanos – PROVEA (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action in Human Rights). Provea is an internationally respected human rights organisation that was founded in 1988 and works independently to promote and defend human rights in Venezuela. It aims to educate people about human rights and to promote the diffusion of human rights principles.
On 1 October 2015, Marino Alvarado and his son were at their home in Caracas when three armed persons entered their home and tied them up for forty minutes. The assailants took with them two laptops, a tablet, two telephones, a camera and some money. Marino Alvarado received blows to the head which required medical attention afterwards. The human rights defender has made a formal complaint to authorities.
Marino Alvarado had submitted a request for protection measures from the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights before this event had taken place, owing to the constant harassment and intimidation to which he has been subjected by high-level officials of the Venezuelan state.
On 21 August 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared on national television and made hostile statements against Provea, in which he labelled them a right-wing political organisation that presents itself as a human rights organisation, and which is financed by the National Endowment for Democracy, an organisation funded by the US government.
In fact, Provea does not receive funding from this programme, nor does it carry out political work. The President also stated that he personally knows Marino Alvarado and that he is Colombian, at a time when anti-Colombian sentiment was high in the country. Provea has also indicated that Marino Alvarado has been subjected to false accusations linking him to Colombian paramilitarism, the illicit receipt of money and of conspiratorial and destabilising acts against the country.
The declarations by Mr Maduro came in the context of an evaluation by Provea of the new national security plan, which is known as Operativo de Liberación del Pueblo (Operation Free the People). Provea has highlighted the negative implications of this programme, which has been implemented by state security forces, mainly in poorer sections of society, and which has resulted in serious human rights violations.
Since November 2014, human rights defenders in Venezuela have faced defamation on national television on the programme “Con el mazo dando”, presented by Diosdado Cabello and which is transmitted weekly. Indeed, the climate for human rights defenders in Venezuela grows more difficult by the day.
In May 2015 Front Line Defenders issued an urgent appeal regarding the interception of communications between human rights defenders, including that of Marino Alvarado. Front Line Defenders also issued an urgent appeal regarding intimidation and threats against human rights defenders following their return to Venezuela after attending a session of the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights in March.
Front Line Defenders is concerned at the aggravated robbery at the home of Marino Alvarado, as it may be related to his peaceful work in the defence of human rights. Front Line Defenders further remains deeply concerned at the hostile climate faced by all human rights defenders in Venezuela.
On 21 August 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared on national television and made hostile statements agsinst human rights organisation Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos – PROVEA, (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action in Human Rights), in which he labelled them a right-wing political organisation, financed by the United States government.
Provea is an internationally respected human rights organisation that was founded in 1988 and works independently and objectively to promote and defend human rights in Venezuela. It also works to educate people about human rights and to promote the diffusion of human rights principles.
In his declarations, made on the programme Último Minuto broadcast on television channel Telesur, the President stated that Provea presented itself as a human rights organisation so that it could garner funding from programmes such as that of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and later pursue political ends with this funding. While Provea does receive funding from US-based philanthropic foundations, it does not receive funding from NED.The President also responded to what he claims is a campaign against him by Provea in which he was allegedly labelled anti-Colombian. He further commented that he would not be stopped by anyone.
The declarations by Mr Maduro come in the context of an evaluation by Provea of the new national security plan, which is known as Operativo de Liberación del Pueblo (Operation Free the People). Provea has pointed to the negative implications of this programme, which has been implemented by state security forces, mainly in poorer sections of society, and which has resulted in serious human rights violations such as arbitrary detentions, extra-judicial killings by police officers, illegal raids, mistreatment of detainees and a campaign of xenophobia against Colombians living in the country.
Since November, human rights defenders in Venezuela have faced defamation on national television on the programme “Con el mazo dando”, presented by Diosdado Cabello and which is transmitted weekly. Indeed, the climate for human rights defenders in Venezuela grows more difficult by the day. In May Front Line Defenders issued an urgent appeal regarding the interception of communications between human rights defenders, including that of Marino Alvarado. Front Line Defenders also issued an urgent appeal regarding intimidation and threats against human rights defenders following their return to Venezuela after attending a session of the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights in March.
Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned regarding the hostile statements against Provea, especially coming as they do from the President of the country, as they may lead to further intimidation or even attacks against members of the organisation.
On 27 May 2015, representatives of Venezuelan human rights organisations Provea and Espacio Público filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor denouncing the illegal interception of their communications by the Venezuelan government.
Programa Venezolano de Educacion y Proteccion de los Derechos Humanos (the the Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action on Human Rights (Provea) was formed in 1998 to work for the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights in Venezuela. Espacio Público, is a non-governmental organisation working for the promotion and defence of human rights, in particular freedom of expression and the right to information.
The complaint was filed by the Coordinator of Provea, Mr Rafael Uzcátegui, and Mr Carlos Correa, Director of Espacio Público, following statements made by Mr Diosdado Cabello, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, on his national television programme. The statements, broadcast on 13 May 2015, recounted explicit details of trips planned by the organisations in April 2015 to meet other Latin American human rights organisations in Chile and Peru. Although information of travel itineraries and scheduled meetings with non-governmental organisations may have been publicly accessible, a planned meeting of representatives of Provea and Espacio Público with Mr Marino Alvarado, a member of the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict who currently resides in Brazil, could only have been discovered through illegal surveillance. The organisations had only been in contact with Marino Alvarado electronically, indicating the monitoring of their online correspondences.
Provea and Espacio Público have been among many civil society organisations who have faced governmental harassment through state controlled means of communication, in particular Diosdado Cabello's weekly television show, 'Con el Mazo Dando'. The attempted criminalisation and discrediting of their work has been augmented by harassment of individual members of the organisations. On 22 March 2015, Rafael Uzcátegui was followed upon arrival at Simón Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía.
The human rights organisations have based their complaint on Article 48 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which guarantees the inviolability of all forms of private communications, and prohibits its violation except by court order in due process of law.
Front Line Defenders expresses serious concern at the illegal interception of private communications of Provea and Espacio Público, and believes the breach of their rights to privacy to be a direct attempt to restrict their legitimate work in the defence of human rights.
Over the last week a number of human rights defenders have reported being intimidated and followed upon returning to Venezuela from the United States. Since 20 March 2015 a number of prominent members of human rights organisations have been returning from Washington D.C. where they were attending the 154th period of sessions at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), which took place from 16 to 23 March 2015.
On 23 March 2015 Mr José Gregorio Guarenas, General Coordinator of the Vicaria de Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Vicariate) in Caracas, was returning into the Simón Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía when he was followed by unidentified men who took his photograph without consent. On 22 March 2015, Ms Liliana Ortega, President of the Comité de Familiares de las Víctimas de los Sucesos de Febrero-Marzo de 1989 – COFAVIC (Committee of Family Members of the Victims of the events that occurred between February and March 1989) was followed by five unknown persons as she arrived back to Venezuela at the same airport. After going through passport control without any problems and arriving at the arrivals area at the airport, Liliana Ortega became aware that she was being followed by three unknown persons who appeared to be acting in coordination with two other individuals. Two of the men, one of whom seemed to be carrying a weapon, proceeded to follow the human rights defender from the arrivals area out to her car. As they followed her they took photographs of her in a manner that she found intimidating. Before the arrival of Liliana Ortega's flight, four of her colleagues from COFAVIC, who were waiting for her at the arrivals area, had noticed the presence of these 5 unknown persons, who appeared to be monitoring the arrival of her flight. These individuals were seen entering and exiting the restricted customs control area of the airport despite having no visible identification and never had their identification checked by the airport authorities.
Other human rights defenders, who had been on the same flight as Liliana Ortega, including Mr Humberto Prado Sifontes, Director of the Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones – OVP (Venezuelan Prisons Observatory) and Mr Rafael Uzcátegui, Coordinator of the Programa Venezolano de Educacion y Protección de los derechos humanos – PROVEA, reported being harassed in the same way upon their arrival at the airport.
On 20 March 2015 Mr Jonathan Matheus of Venezuela Diversa and Ms Quiteria Franco of the Red de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales, Trans e Intersexuales de Venezuela (LGBTI Network of Venezuela) returned from Washington, where they had been attending sessions on LGBTI issues at the IACHR, when they too experienced the same intimidation upon arrival at the airport.
For the past two years, human rights defenders have been the subject of constant harassment and public threats by government officials in connection with their work as human rights defenders and for resorting to international systems for the protection of human rights. However, this situation of harassment allegedly escalated on 18 March 2015, when during the television program called ''Con el Mazo Dando'', directed by the President of the National Assembly, the latter revealed the names of the participants to the sessions before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights in Washington DC, including Liliana Ortega and other prominent human rights defenders. The segment was accompanied by covert photographs of Mr Marco Antonio Ponce, Director of the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflicts, that had been taken at the airport of Maiquetía on the day of his departure flight. During this same program, precise information was disclosed regarding the date and time of the human rights defenders' return flights from Washington. Most recently, the President of the National Assembly published another segment in the official newspaper of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela ''Cuatro F'', which reveals the details of the travel itinerary of prominent human rights defenders, including Mr Carlos Correa, Director of Espácio Público, for the upcoming Summit of the Americas.
The events described are the latest in a series of acts of intimidation and defamatory statements against human rights defenders, who, since the end of 2014, have been publicly accused of conspiracy and of attempting to destabilise the country, together with other Venezuelan human rights organisations, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights itself.
Front Line Defenders continues to be gravely concerned at the repeated acts of intimidation and public defamatory statements against the above-mentioned human rights defenders in Venezuela, which it believes to be directly linked to their legitimate work with the Inter-American system of human rights.
On 17 December 2014, during his weekly television programme “Con el Mazo Dando”, transmitted on Venezolana de Televisión, president of the National Assembly and vicepresident of the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (Psuv), Mr Diosdado Cabello, once again made defamatory comments against human rights defenders in the country. These comments were related to a recent meeting in the offices of Human Rights Watch in New York on 1 December 2014, in which many Venezuelan human rights defenders participated.
During the broadcast, a number of human rights defenders were named for having taken part in this meeting via video conference, including Mr Marcos Ponce from the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (Venezuelan Observatory for Social Unrest) Ms Rocío San Miguel, from Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional (Citizen Watchdog on Security, Defence and the Armed Forces) and Mr Carlos Nieto Palma from Una Ventana a La Libertad (A Window to Freedom). Diosdado Cabello also named Mr Marino Alvarado from the Programa Venezolano de Educacion y Proteccion de los derechos humanos – PROVEA (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Protection of Human Rights) and Mr Humberto Prado Sifontes, the general coordinator for the Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones – OVP (Venezuelan Prison Observatory). However, neither of them had taken part in the meeting. A number of these human rights defenders have previously been the target of defamatory statements by Diosdado Cabello and other government representatives for their role in monitoring and denouncing human rights violations in the country.
During the section “Los mazazos” (The heavy blows) of the television broadcast, Diosdado Cabello made unfounded comments about how the human rights defenders had used this meeting to plan their strategies for 2015 and he suggests that they will resume the violent campaign that they were allegedly involved in during the first half of 2014, which left 43 people dead. In the meeting, which Diosdado Cabello described as being 'financed by imperialism', he alleged that the human rights defenders and NGOs were discussing their 2015 plan for 'destabilisation', including the resumption of the tactic of “Guarimba”, a form of protest which includes blocking roads, setting fire to tyres, and throwing rocks. He further criticised the NGOs involved for discussing the alleged violations of human rights in the country, the role of political parties, and the persecution of human rights defenders by the President of Venezuela Mr Nicolás Maduro.
Diosdado Cabello also commented that he had allegedly been informed by those participating in the meeting that Marcos Ponce had put himself in charge of organising the trade unionists from the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana, a decentralised state-owned conglomerate, located in the Guayana Region, to protest, instigate violence and to bring many of the essential industries in the country to a standstill. Marino Alvarado was also allegedly designated by the group to be an instigator of labour union protests in 2015. When mentioning Humberto Prado Sifontes, Diosdado Cabello suggested that he had not been asked to join the meeting due to a loss of confidence in him among fellow human rights defenders given his lack of accountability for $250,000 that he received and Diosdado Cabello mentioned hearing him described as a thug and a thief.
He also criticised the use of the organisation Transparencia Venezuela, the national branch of Transparency International which promotes transparency and accountability across all sectors of society, as a way of cleaning up the image of right-wing institutions. In his criticism of this organisation, he details how the director Ms María Freitas Sánchez has travelled to the US ten times this year and that she is responsible for the finances of the organisation, including money transfers from the US, and suggests that she is linked to a number of well known right-wing politicians in Venezuela. The defamatory comments made during this programme are believed to be part of a smear campaign against defenders and civil society organisation by the President of the National Assembly.
This is the latest in a series of defamatory remarks made by Diosdado Cabello on his programme. In a recent hearing of Venezuela before the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva, Diosdado Cabello's programme was mentioned as an example of criminalisation against human rights defenders.
On 19 April 2013, the Venezuelan Minister for Information and Communication, Mr Ernesto Villegas, initiated a smear campaign, via the social media website Twitter, against the Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en Derechos Humanos – Provea (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Action on Human Rights).
Provea works to improve already existing initiatives and to develop new programmes in the defence of human rights. It also works to educate people about human rights and to promote the diffusion of human rights principles in Venezuela.
The campaign is believed to be in retaliation for the report released by Provea on 18 April 2013, which found that state media reports into attacks against medical centres around the country had been greatly exaggerated. Provea has reiterated that it does not deny that the attacks took place, but rather that the report finds no evidence of the severity which is being reported by the state-run media, nor does it find evidence that the attacks were carried out by opposition supporters.
However, Minister Villegas has accused the organisation of attempting to discredit the victims of the attacks. In one of his tweets in response to the report, the Minister for Information and Communication wrote “Lástima que Provea actúe como retaguardia del fascismo” (What a shame that Provea is acting as the guardian of fascism) and in another “Provea antepone su antichavismo” (Provea shows its anti-Chavez side). Given the current political climate in the country, being labelled as fascist and anti-Chavez could possibly lead to reprisals against the organisation and its members, up to and including physical attack.
Front Line Defenders is concerned about the social media smear campaign against human rights organisation Provea, and wishes to emphasise the legitimate role played by human rights defenders and civil society organisations in Venezuela.
On 13 February 2014, human rights defender Mr Humberto Prado Sifontes was victim of a smear campaign by the Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice, Gen. Miguel Rodríguez Torres.
On the previous day at 9:30pm, another human rights defender, Mr Inti Rodríguez, was arbitrarily detained and physically attacked by security forces, allegedly part of the Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional – SEBIN (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service) and of paramilitary groups from Western Caracas.
Humberto Prado Sifontes is the general coordinator for the Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones – OVP (Venezuelan Prison Observatory), which documents cases of violations and abuses committed against detainees in Venezuela and promotes their rights. Inti Rodriguez is the media coordinator with the Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en derechos humanos – PROVEA (Venezuelan Programme for Education and Human Rights Action), an organisation that works to improve and develop programmes in the defence of human rights.
On 13 February at noon, the Minister of Interior and Justice, Gen. Miguel Rodríguez Torres in a ministerial speech indicated that not only Humberto Prado Sifontes has been part of a conspiracy since 2010, he has also planned to destabilize the Venezuelan penitentiary system, in addition to being guilty of violent acts that have recently escalated in the country. On 19 and 30 March 2012, the human rights defender was present at the 144th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Afterwards, on 20 and 31 March, he was invited to the “Plan Pais” event hosted at the Universities of Washington and George Washington. As an academic, he participated in order to propose solutions to the main problems of his country.
On 12 February 2014 afternoon, members of PROVEA denounced violations that had occurred during student marches on the same day, where at least three people were killed and over 60 injured. At 9:30pm, at a police checkpoint at the exit of Agua Salud metro station, armed civilian men who identified themselves as members of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and paramilitary groups from Western Caracas arbitrarily arrested Inti Rodriguez. They led him to another location, where approximately 20 people dressed in black interrogated and beat him, stealing his belongings and finally abandoning him in a street in Caracas, after threatening him and his family if he were to report on the assault.
Front Line has previously expressed concern about the smear campaigns against Humberto Prado in May 2013 and April 2013. Additionally, Front Line Defenders reported on the defamation of PROVEA on 19 April 2013.
Evidence shows that the acts of intimidation against Humberto Prado Sifontes and the assault and threats against Inti Rodrigues are directly related to their work in defence of human rights in Venezuela. Front Line Defenders is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of the human rights defenders and their families.
