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Venezuelan Civil Society Organizations: We reject the criminalization and harassment against Azul Positivo and its members

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Statement from 100+ Venezuelan Civil Society Organizations

On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in the city of Maracaibo, the headquarters of the organization ACCIÓN ZULIANA POR LA VIDA, known as AZUL POSITIVO, were raided by a commission of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), in an alleged administrative procedure to the activities of the humanitarian assistance program developed by the organization in the state of Zulia.

After questioning directors of the organization present at the headquarters for a period of 6 hours, without a legal order or allowing outside contact with them, the officials proceeded to arrest 6 members, including its president Johan León Reyes. None of these people have been released and their current situation is unknown.

AZUL POSITIVO is a non-profit organization with 16 years of experience that carries out important actions of preventive health in relation to HIV, gender violence and humanitarian assistance for students, young people, LGBTI communities, excluded and poor people, campesinos, artisanal fishermen and the general population of the state of Zulia.

AZUL POSITIVO actively contributes to various public institutions in Zulia, such as the Secretary of Health, the Regional AIDS Program, the National Service of Medicine and Forensic Sciences, and Fundación Misión Barrio Adentro, among others.

With the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose impact has been devastating on the Zulia population, AZUL POSITIVO took the initiative to offer timely and adequate responses, such as promoting prevention measures for the new coronavirus in the most vulnerable and underserved communities.

AZUL POSITIVO is an allied organization of United Nations agencies, contributing to UNAIDS by carrying out tests for the detection of HIV in a fast, safe and free way to communities of popular sectors. AZUL POSITIVO is an important partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for contributing to the implementation of projects in the border area with Colombia on sexual and reproductive orientation for teenagers, young women and pregnant women.

It is with great concern that we observe that during the last months of 2020 and the first two weeks of 2021, actions of criminalization, harassment, threat and disparagement by official entities have intensified towards the work carried out by civil society organizations in Venezuela.

That is why the undersigned organizations:

1.- Demand that the Venezuelan State guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and the immediate release of all the members of AZUL POSITIVO, as well as the cessation of criminalization and harassment against organizations that provide humanitarian assistance and defend human rights.

2.- Request all United Nations agencies and bodies to activate the protection and security mechanisms for the members of AZUL POSITIVO for their humanitarian assistance work and to seek guarantees of respect and protection for the performance of humanitarian work and the defense of rights in an enabling and safe environment.

3.- To ask the international community to pay its full attention to the situation of hostility and insecurity in which civil society organizations are in, and to condemn the continuous attacks against humanitarian organizations, defenders and human rights defenders.

Organizations:

  1. 100% Estrógeno

  2. A.C. Casa del Nuevo Pueblo

  3. AC Grupo Social CESAP

  4. Acceso a la Justicia

  5. Acción Solidaria

  6. ACCSI Acción Ciudadana Contra el SIDA

  7. ADHAM Asociación de Derechos Humanos Amigos de Margarita

  8. AID FOR AIDS Venezuela

  9. Alerta Venezuela

  10. AMBAR Asociación Civil

  11. Aprendiendo a Ser Positivo (ASER+)

  12. Asociación Civil Impulso Vital Aragua ACIVA

  13. Asociación Civil Mujeres en Línea

  14. Asociación Civil NUPAZ

  15. Asociación por la Vida (ASOVIDA Mérida)

  16. Asociación Venezolana en Chile

  17. Asociación Venezolana para la Hemofilia AVHemofilia ASOMUVI

  18. Aula Abierta

  19. AVESA Asociación Venezolana para una Educación Sexual Alternativa

  20. Caleidoscopio Humano

  21. CAMPO

  22. Cátedra de DDHH de la Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado

  23. Cátedra de la Paz y Derechos Humanos Mons. Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Mérida

  24. CECODAP

  25. Centro de Acción y Defensa por los Derechos Humanos (CADEF)

  26. Centro de Animación Juvenil

  27. Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

  28. Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Metropolitana

  29. Centro de Justicia y Paz CEPAZ

  30. Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ)

  31. Civilis Derechos Humanos

  32. Clima21 – Ambiente y Derechos Humanos

  33. CODEVIDA

  34. COFAVIC

  35. Comisión de DDHH de la Federación Venezolana de Colegios de Abogados del estado Apure

  36. Comisión de Justicia y Paz

  37. Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos de la Federación de Colegios de Abogados de Venezuela del Estado Lara

  38. Comisión para los Derechos Humanos del Estado Zulia (CODHEZ) Comunidad Organizada de Sabana Larga

  39. Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional

  40. Convite A.C

  41. Defiende Venezuela

  42. EDEPA A.C.

  43. Epikeia Observatorio Universitario de Derechos Humanos

  44. Espacio Público

  45. EXCUBITUS Derechos Humanos en Educación

  46. FAVID

  47. Fundación Arcoiris por la Vida

  48. Federación Nacional de Sociedades de Padres y Representantes-FENASOPADRES

  49. FUNCAMAMA

  50. Fundación Agua Clara

  51. Fundación Ayúdate

  52. Fundación Centro Gumilla

  53. Fundación CERLAS

  54. Fundación Conciencia por la Vida

  55. Fundación de Derechos Humanos de los Llanos (FUNDEHULLANVZLA)

  56. Fundación El Zulia Recicla

  57. Fundación Gran Familia de la Salud

  58. Fundación Isamar Carúpano (FUNDAISAMAR)

  59. Fundación Laboratorio de Desarrollo Humano

  60. Fundación MAVID Carabobo

  61. Fundación Nueva Vida

  62. Fundación para el Debido Proceso FUNDEPRO

  63. Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral FUNDESI

  64. Fundación Pro-Defensa del Derecho a la Educación y la Niñez FUNDA-PDEN

  65. Fundación Red Venezolana de Hombres Positivos RVH+

  66. Fundación Rehabilitarte

  67. Fundación Sida Región Táchira (FUNDASIDARTA)

  68. GobiernaTec

  69. Hearts on Venezuela

  70. Hope of Justice International

  71. ICASO, Canadá

  72. Instituto de Desarrollo Humano, Bolivia

  73. Instituto Progresista

  74. Jesús Castellanos Vásquez

  75. Labo Ciudadano

  76. Laboratorio de Paz

  77. Liga Merideña contra el SIDA

  78. Monitor Social AC

  79. Movimiento Ciudadano Dale Letra

  80. Movimiento SOMOS

  81. Movimiento Vinotinto

  82. Mulier

  83. Observatorio de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad de Los Andes

  84. ObservatorioVenezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS)

  85. Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones

  86. Organización StopVIH

  87. ORPANAC

  88. Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (PROVEA)

  89. PROMEDEHUM

  90. Proyecto 860

  91. Proyecto Mujeres

  92. Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos (REDAC)

  93. Red Mérida Feminista

  94. Red Uruguay de Personas con VIH, Uruguay

  95. Red Venezolana de Gente Positiva

  96. REDHNNA, Red por los DDHH de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes

  97. Resonalia

  98. Servicio Jesuita a Refugiados JRS – Venezuela

  99. SINERGIA, Red Venezolana de Organizaciones de Sociedad Civil

  100. Transparencia Venezuela

  101. Sociedad Hominis Iura (SOHI)

  102. Un Mundo Sin Mordaza

  103. Una Ventana a la Libertad

  104. Unión Afirmativa

  105. Uquira

  106. Vicaría de DDHH de la Arquidiócesis de Barquisimeto


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