Human Rights Foundation (HRF), en asociación con el Centro Latinoamericano de Derechos Humanos (CLADH), presentó esta mañana un memorial ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) solicitando que adopte medidas cautelares donde se exija al Estado venezolano garantizar la vida, la integridad física y la libertad personal de los 33 magistrados del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de Venezuela, que fueron nombrados la semana pasada por la Asamblea Nacional.

Thor Halvorssen’s testimony, which will entered the public record today, focuses on the Washington-based strategy company Fusion GPS and its role in coordinating a smear campaign against investigative journalists and whistleblowers who threatened to expose its client, Derwick Associates.

The announcement was published in the official Twitter account of Venezuela’s notoriously subservient Supreme Court, who cited “irregularities in the execution of his sentence” and “information about the health situation of the political leader” as justification for his conditional release.

Celebrated professional skydivers from the Red Bull Athletic Team, Amy Chmelecki, Mike Swanson, Jon Devore, Filippo “Ippo” Fabbi, and global wingsuit champion Noah Bahnson are currently in Venezuela as contractors of Skydive Caribbean, a company owned by Pedro Trebbau-Lopez and Domingo Guzman-Lopez, to train the stepchildren and nephews of President Nicolas Maduro along with those of drug kingpin Hugo Carvajal.

Both Ramírez and Moreno were killed during anti-authoritarian demonstrations that have rocked Venezuela over the last few days.

Today, Venezuela’s Supreme Court has effectively shut down the democratically-elected (and opposition-controlled) National Assembly.

A recent journalistic investigation revealed that a group of intelligence agents from the Strategic Center for the Security and Protection of the Homeland (CESPPA), acting under direct instructions from President Nicolás Maduro, has unlawfully wiretapped phone conversations, and hacked text messages and email communications of prominent opposition figures such as Henrique Capriles, María Corina Machado, Henry Ramos Allup, and Julio Borges.

Human Rights Foundation (HRF) reiterates its February 2014 designation of López as a prisoner of conscience and calls on Venezuela’s authoritarian regime to release him immediately.

Violence is rampant, the media is censored, members of the authentic opposition are in prison, corruption is out of control, there is a historic food and supply shortage, blackouts occur daily, the currency has been destroyed by hyperinflation, and a militaristic regime has slowly taken over all key functions of government and civil society.

During his opening remarks, Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, lamented: “The people of Venezuela are faced with a government that is no longer accountable to them.

El-Hage praised Almagro’s moral courage and congratulated him for activating the Inter-American Democratic Charter’s (IADC) 2001 democracy clause, which could lead to the suspension of the government of Venezuela from participation in all organs of the OAS.

The session may lead to the suspension of Venezuela’s Maduro’s regime from the OAS for violating the organization’s rules making democratic governance a requirement for participation.