Event Summary
In the last weeks of September, members of the Baduel family, relatives of Josnars Baduel—who has been detained since May 2020—and members of the Committee of Relatives of Political Prisoners of Venezuela (CLIPPVE), reported new incidents of harassment and intimidation.
During a tour of diplomatic missions in Caracas, called the “Route for Justice and Freedom,” unidentified individuals began following and harassing participants as they visited different diplomatic missions in the city. The purpose of the initiative was to raise awareness and advocate for the situation and release of those arbitrarily detained. According to available information, the harassment was primarily directed at Andreína Baduel, sister of Josnars Baduel and daughter of the late Venezuelan military officer Raúl Baduel, who himself remained in detention until his death in October 2021.
According to the complaint filed by the victim herself, unidentified individuals followed her and even placed a tracking device on the vehicle she was traveling in. These incidents are part of the ongoing pattern of persecution and harassment that has intensified in the country, this time targeting relatives of those detained for political reasons.
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners brings together activists, human rights defenders, and relatives of individuals detained for political reasons in Venezuela. In recent weeks, the group has been carrying out a small tour, known as the “Route for Justice and Freedom,” visiting diplomatic missions accredited in Venezuela to denounce, raise awareness, and advocate on behalf of political prisoners and their families.