Relatives of minors imprisoned in Venezuela ask UNICEF ​​to support their release

Parents and relatives of minors who were detained during recent protests unleashed after the July 28 Venezuela presidential elections sent a letter to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Caracas, asking the organization to intercede for their release.

The letter asks the U.N. children’s rights agency to mediate so that the 70 children and adolescents reportedly imprisoned in the South American country are released. It also asked the organization as to verify the conditions of those minors purportedly locked up, according to international media reports.

Local media in Venezuela and Human Rights Watch have reported that the arrests of the minors occurred just days after the presidential elections, a time when thousands of Venezuelans went out to protest against the official result of the elections announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which declared Nicolás Maduro as the victor.

LATINOAMERICA | Desesperado pedido por los adolescentes presos en #Venezuela. Madres, familiares y amigos reclaman ante sede de #Unicef de Caracas y el mundo que liberen a los 68 menores presos, acusados de terrorismo. https://t.co/SYvheMUIfd #ANSA #ANSALatina pic.twitter.com/CnKt1BtldR

— Agencia ANSA (@AgenciaANSA) October 21, 2024

Of the 142 minors reportedly captured, 70 remain in detention centers, where “they live in inhumane conditions not suitable for their age and condition, in violation of international standards,” relatives said.

They also explained that these conditions “include overcrowding, lack of access to basic health services, poor nutrition and lack of protection against physical and psychological abuse” of minors, accused of terrorism and inciting hatred, among other crimes.

Several mothers and fathers offered to the media and UNICEF ​​the testimony of how their children were arrested by the Chavista law enforcement forces in Venezuela.

They also recounted the “constructed” charges that are brought against the young people, the majority of whom are not older than 17 years old.

According to the Maduro regime and reports from CNN, 27 deaths were recorded during the post-election crisis, for which the authorities blame the opposition.

Amid this discourse, anti-Chavismo opposition activists have accused state security forces of repression and violence against protesters, citing the arrest of more than 2,400 people, including minors.