The human rights defender and activist, Walter Márquez, formally requested before the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic, through the Táchira State Attorney General’s Office, the implementation of the Minnesota Protocol in the investigation of the death of Edwin Santos, democratic opposition leader of the Voluntad Popular (VP) political pary in Apure State.
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Márquez has denounced the urgency of applying this international standard to guarantee an exhaustive and transparent investigation, given the suspicions of a possible extrajudicial execution.
The human rights defender expressed his concern about the different theories that have arisen around the circumstances of Santos’ death. While Douglas Rico, Director of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC), maintains that it was a traffic accident on the route between El Nula and El Piñal, other hypotheses have gained relevance, pointinmg to a possible kidnapping and political assassination.
Faced with this discrepancy, Márquez stressed the need for an exhaustive investigation that rules out or confirms both versions, stating that “we cannot accept the CICPC Director’s thesis that the investigation was closed” and rejected any intimidation towards those who may have information about what happened.
Márquez indicated that the request for an investigation based on the Minnesota Protocol was raised together with former Táchira’s Governor, César Pérez Vivas, in order to clarify the facts, since the announcement made by the CICPC Director, in his opinion, could inhibit key witnesses from coming forward to testify. “That is why we ask that an impartial and independent investigation be designed from the moment Santos disappeared,” he added.
Santos’ family fled Venezuela
The human rights defender also pointed out that Santos’ family is outside the country, fearing for their safety due to the prevailing “state terrorism.” He also mentioned that the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission of the UN Human Rights Council has already begun investigations into the case, as has the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which has demanded an impartial investigation.
“We could be facing the possibility of an accidental event or a crime against humanity,” emphasized Márquez, while warning about the climate of mistrust surrounding the investigation. He said that the disappearance and death of Santos in a post-election context, with a figure of 2,500 prisoners and 25 deaths, shows the seriousness of the current situation in the country.
Regarding Diosdado Cabello’s announcement of this death, in which he indicated that witnesses would be summoned before the competent bodies, Marqués stressed that “in the face of this state of terror, what witness is going to come forward?” He stressed the need for the Government to establish real procedural guarantees to protect those who wish to collaborate in the investigation.
