[JURIST] Venezuela effectively allows more violence and abuses through its failure to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of the injuries and tortures during 2014 protests, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] announced [press release] in a report [executive summary] released Tuesday. During the protests 3,351 people were detained, and most were released without charges. However, 1,404 individuals are still facing charges, and 25 remain in detention. The report outlines the torture of the detainees, as some prisoners have been “beaten, burnt, sexually abused, asphyxiated, electrocuted and threatened with death while in custody.” Instead of addressing these issues, the Ministry of Defense [official website, in Spanish] issued a resolution [JURIST report] in January allowing the armed forces to be deployed in public order operations, including the policing of public protests and authorized the use of deadly force. AI recommends a change in the government’s response:

Amnesty International is concerned that the level of violence will intensify and more lives will be lost unless the Venezuelan government prioritizes the protection of human rights and the executive sends a clear message that excessive use of force by the security forces will not be tolerated. The government must also guarantee that protesters and dissidents will not be targeted. Without such a commitment, the rule of law will continue to be eroded, potentially putting everyone at risk of human rights violations.

The Venezuela Public Prosecutor’s Office has investigated 238 reports of human rights violations, but charges have only been brought in 13 cases.

Between February and July 2014, demonstrators gathered to protest government authority [BBC news report], resulting in conflict with police and the deaths of 43 people and the injury of 878. In response to the conflict, rights groups criticized Venezuelan security forces of abusing and unlawfully detaining protesters, and called for an end to violence [JURIST reports] in the country. Such violent demonstrations were partially motivated by Venezuela’s current economic difficulties [BBC backgrounder] and disdain towards current President Nicolas Maduro [official website, in Spanish]. In 2013 Venezuela withdrew [JURIST report] from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights despite criticism from activists and calls by the UN [JURIST report] for the country to remain a member.