![]() Hernández Carrasco was released in July, but remains subject to criminal prosecution. The torture techniques included electric shocks, choking him with a plastic bag, and placing a stick on his rectum and threatening to rape him with it. He said he was beaten and tortured and finally agreed to sign a confession. José Gregorio Hernández Carrasco, a university student, was detained in May 2016, two days after he participated in an anti-government demonstration in Caracas. Protesters continue to be subject to prosecution for participating in peaceful demonstrations. Detainees were often held incommunicado on military bases for 48 hours or more before being presented to a judge, and in some cases, suffered abuses including severe beatings, electric shocks or burns, and being forced to squat or kneel without moving for hours. For several weeks, security forces used excessive force against unarmed protesters and bystanders, and tolerated and sometimes collaborated directly with armed pro-government gangs that attacked protesters with impunity. In early 2014, the government responded to massive anti-government protests with brutal force. A judge subsequently charged Goicoechea with several crimes and ordered his pretrial detention. Goicoechea’s family and lawyer received no official information about his whereabouts for more than 56 hours. On August 29, intelligence agents detained Yon Goicoechea, an activist of the Popular Will opposition party, as he was driving to a press conference about an opposition rally scheduled for September 1. In some, the evidence included possession of political materials, including pamphlets calling for the release of political prisoners. In several cases, prosecutors failed to present any credible evidence linking the accused to crimes. Many say they have been tortured or otherwise abused in custody, or that they were unable to see their families or lawyers for hours, occasionally days, after arrest. In 2016, the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detained dozens of people on allegations of planning, fomenting, or participating in violent anti-government actions, including some that were in fact peaceful protests. ![]() Several others arbitrarily arrested in connection with 2014 anti-government protests remain under house arrest or in detention awaiting trial. Opposition leader Leopoldo López is serving a 13-year sentence in a military prison for his alleged role in inciting violence during a demonstration in Caracas in February 2014, despite the lack of any credible evidence linking him to a crime.
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