Press Release Apr 12, 2016 Venezuela: HRF Condemns Large-scale, Illegal Wiretapping of Political Opposition 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.
Press Release Jan 21, 2016 Venezuela: HRF Condemns Inhuman Treatment of Leopoldo López’s Wife and Mother Both women were told to undress in separate rooms — in the case of Mendoza, she was forced to do so in front of her two grandchildren, ages three and six — and were verbally abused in an attempt to punish and humiliate them.
Press Release Jan 6, 2016 HRF to OAS Secretary-General: Apply the Democracy Clause in Venezuela HRF calls on Almagro to summon an extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the OAS in order to analyze the situation in Venezuela and call for a peaceful return to democratic rule in that country.
News Sep 23, 2015 HRF pres. on the arrest of his cousin, Leopoldo Lopez, in Venezuela HRF president Thor Halvorssen published the following article in The Daily Beast upon the jailing of his cousin, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, after a sham trial engineered to eliminate him as a political threat.
News Sep 17, 2015 Miami Herald reports on Leopoldo Lopez’s arbitrary arrest The trial and conviction of opposition leader Leopoldo López by a kangaroo court in Caracas last week is more than just another outrage by the political gang running Venezuela.
Press Release Sep 16, 2015 Inter-American Court: HRF Welcomes Judgment in Favor of RCTV The court’s decision holds that the Venezuelan state violated the freedom of expression of RCTV’s shareholders and employees, as well as that of the “Venezuelan people, who were deprived of access to RCTV’s editorial line.”
News Sep 11, 2015 LA Times on Leopoldo Lopez’s sentencing Human rights organizations Friday condemned a Venezuelan court’s sentencing of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to more than 13 years in prison for allegedly inciting violence in nationwide protests that left 43 dead in early 2014.
Press Release Sep 10, 2015 Venezuela: HRF Condemns 13-Year Prison Sentence Against Leopoldo López The judge sentenced López to 13 years and 9 months in prison—of a maximum possible of 14 years under Venezuela’s Criminal Code—after declaring him guilty of allegedly committing the crimes of arson, damages to public property, incitement to commit a crime, and conspiracy.
Press Release Aug 19, 2015 Venezuela: HRF Condemns $365 Million Lawsuit Against Independent Media In the case of the digital newspaper La Patilla—the only one so far served with the suit—Cabello is demanding $365 million in damages.
Press Release Jul 17, 2015 Venezuela: HRF Condemns Targeted Twitter Data Collection by Political Police The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) strongly condemns the actions of the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL), in collusion with the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), that led to the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of eight Twitter users between September and October of 2014.
