I: Venezuela bulletin

["nello" <margiotta@tightrope.it>]

-----Messaggio Originale----- 
Da: <Ray.Mitchell@amnesty.org.uk>
Newsgroup: misc.activism.progressive
Data invio: sabato 25 marzo 2000 7.33
Oggetto: AI: Venezuela bulletin


+------------------------------------------------------+
+     AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN     +
+     Electronic distribution authorised               +
+     This bulletin expires: 1 May.                    +
+------------------------------------------------------+

PUBLIC                                    AI Index: AMR 53/05/00
                                          20 March 2000

UA 63/00             Fear for safety/Death threat

VENEZUELA            Ali Eduardo Sojo Diaz (aged 16)
                     Flor Diaz Rangel (f)
                     Freddy Sojo
                     Yolima Diaz Rangel (f)

Police officers have threatened 16-year-old Ali Eduardo Sojo Diaz
with death. He, his parents Flor Diaz Rangel and Freddy Sojo, and
his aunt, Yolima Diaz Rangel, fear for their safety. Amnesty
International believes that the threat was made to intimidate Ali
Sojo and other members of his family because of their efforts to
bring to justice those responsible for the death, 19 months ago,
of Freddy Diaz, Yolima Rangel's son.

On 7 March 2000, at about 8:00 p.m., Ali Sojo was near to his
grandmother's home in Barrio La Cruz, a neighbourhood in Petare,
Municipality of Sucre, Miranda State. He was hailed by three
hooded men in a green car with tinted windows but he ignored the
call and ran to his grandmother's home.

Five days later, on 12 March, Ali Sojo's parents, Flor Diaz
Rangel and Freddy Sojo, received a visit from a neighbour who
told them that agents attached to the Policia Municipal de Sucre,
Sucre Municipal Police, had asked him where Ali Sojo was living
because "they wanted to kill him" ("querian matarlo").

Yolima Rangel's son, Freddy Diaz, was reportedly shot dead by a
member of the Policia Municipal de Sucre in August 1998. Ali Sojo
and Yolima Rangel, who was also shot and injured in the incident,
were eye-witnesses to the killing. After the killing Freddy
Diaz's family was taken into custody and held for 24 hours. They
were told by police that if they pressed charges against the
police then the police would "make their lives impossible"
("hacerles la vida imposible")(see UA 221/98, AMR 53/07/98, 14
August 1998).

On 16 November 1998 the Director of Human Rights, on behalf of
the Attorney General of the Republic (Fiscal General de la
Republica), sent a communication (Ref. No: DDH-16 40486) to
Amnesty International. In it the Director informed the
organization that, following a complaint filed by Yolima Diaz
Rangel, Dr. Antonio Mastroprieto, Attorney No.14 of the National
Public Ministry (Fiscal No.14 del Ministerio Publico a Nivel
Nacional ) "was conducting the preliminary enquiries in order to
verify the complaint", ("se encuentra realizando las
averiguaciones preliminares para constar la veracidad del
hecho"). Since then Amnesty International has received no further
information as to the outcome of the investigation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION Over the years, Amnesty International has
received many reports of individuals killed by Venezuelan
security forces in circumstances where firearms were used.
Amnesty International has also documented attacks and
extrajudicial killings of minors (see Venezuela: The silent cry
- Gross human rights violations against children, AMR 53/13/97,
October 1997). These incidents are rarely fully investigated and
in very few cases have those responsible been brought to justice.

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
+ Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are  +
+ writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns        +
+ described above. If you would like to join with them in   +
+ this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action   +
+ network or Amnesty International in general, please       +
+ contact one of the following:                             +
+                                                           +
+      Ray Mitchell, ua@amnesty.org.uk (UK)                 +
+      Scott Harrison, sharrison@igc.apc.org (USA)          +
+      Guido Gabriel, ggabriel@amnesty.cl.sub.de (Germany)  +
+      Marilyn McKim, mmckim@amnesty.ca (Canada)            +
+      ua@aibf.be (Belgium)                                 +
+      Anne Nolan, ua@amnesty.iol.ie (Ireland)              +
+-----------------------------------------------------------+



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