Relatives of the abducted migrants at the United Nations. Photo: Instagram/@madeleintelesur.
Relatives of Venezuelan migrants abducted to El Salvador appeared before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, to denounce the human rights violations against Venezuelan citizens held at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
The complaint was filed during the organization’s 59th session, where the Donald Trump administration was held responsible for the mass deportations, and President Nayib Bukele for the forced disappearance of at least 252 Venezuelans, the state channel reported on its website.
“In order to raise awareness among the Council’s authorities,” they stated, “we appeal to their human sensitivity, because within the framework of human rights, the protected asset is human dignity, which is what is being violated in this case.”
The relatives were accompanied by Ambassador Alexander Yánez, Venezuela’s Permanent Representative to the UN, who supported their claim. They assert that more than 90% of the detainees have no criminal record, which contradicts the Salvadoran government’s narrative.
A Venezuelan delegation also traveled to El Salvador on June 10, but returned without answers regarding the whereabouts or conditions of the migrants detained at CECOT.
Family Members of Venezuelan Migrants Illegally Incarcerated in El Salvador Demand Prison Visits
Despite submitting applications to the General Directorate of Penitentiary Centers and the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, they were not allowed to enter the prison or obtain official information. “They are there without any judicial process and without any crime committed in this country,” reported Walter Márquez of the Amparo International Foundation. He demanded that the migrants’ right to visits and medical and legal examinations be respected.
The relatives also went to the Apostolic Nunciature in San Salvador, where they delivered a letter requesting the intervention of Pope Leo XIII. “I don’t want them to lose faith,” said Jhoanna Sanguino, aunt of Widmer Agelvis, one of the detained youths. “We were so close, yet so far away.”
The Venezuelan delegation is planning a second visit to El Salvador, hoping to achieve concrete results and secure the safe return of their families to Venezuela.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH