Relatives of Venezuelan migrants kidnapped in El Salvador denounce human rights violations against Venezuelan citizens held at the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
The denounce was made during the organization’s 59th session, where were held responsible the Donald Trump administration for the mass deportations, and President Nayib Bukele for the forced disappearance of at least 252 Venezuelans:
«In order to raise awareness among the Council’s authorities, we call upon their human sensitivity, because within the framework of human rights, the protected asset is human dignity, which is what is being violated in this case,» they stated.
The relatives were accompanied by Ambassador Alexander Yánez, Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN, who supported the claim. They assert that more than 90% of the detainees have no criminal record, which contradicts the Salvadoran government’s narrative.
It is worth noting that a Venezuelan delegation also traveled to El Salvador on June 10, but returned without answers regarding the whereabouts or conditions of the migrants held at the Penitentiary Center Against Terrorism (CECOT).
Despite submitting requests to the General Directorate of Penitentiary Centers and the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, they were not allowed to enter the prison or obtain official information: «They are there without any judicial process and without any crime committed in this country,» denounced Walter Márquez of the Amparo Internacional (International Support) Foundation. He demanded the migrants’ right to visitation and medical and legal examination to be respected.
The relatives also visited the Apostolic Nunciature in San Salvador, where they delivered a letter requesting the intervention of Pope Leo XIV: “I don’t want them to lose faith,” said Jhoanna Sanguino, aunt of Widmer Agelvis, one of the detained youths. “We were so close, yet so far away.”
The Venezuelan delegation is planning a second visit to El Salvador, hoping to achieve concrete results and secure the safe return of their relatives to Venezuela.
