PANAMA / GENEVA – The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela welcomes a major international judicial development: the first extradition request arising from an investigation into crimes against humanity committed during Venezuela’s 2014 protests.
A federal court in Argentina formally requested that Spanish authorities extradite former Colonel Ephraín Enrique Verdú Torrelles, who faces murder charges linked to abuses committed during the 2014 crackdown. He is among 14 commanders of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) named in a complaint filed in Argentina in 2023 by the international non-governmental organization Inter-Just.
The proceedings are being conducted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows courts in third States to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed outside their territory, regardless of the nationality of the victims or the alleged offender.
The Mission welcomed this procedural step as an important advance in the fight against impunity, reaffirming that geographical borders cannot serve as a safe haven for those responsible for crimes against humanity against the Venezuelan people.
Through several reports, the Fact-Finding Mission has extensively documented the human rights violations and crimes against humanity carried out in Venezuela since 2014. The Mission’s investigations are guided by the objective of “ensur[ing] full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims,” in full compliance with its mandate.
The 2014 protests marked one of the largest waves of popular mobilization during the presidency of Nicolás Maduro, amid a gradual breakdown of democratic institutions and the rule of law. The Mission’s investigations concluded that the State response to these mass protests were not isolated incidents of police brutality, but rather formed part of a systematic and planned pattern of State violence.
Through extensive evidence-gathering, the Fact-Finding Mission identified several key features of the 2014 protests crackdown:
- Disproportionate use of force: Security forces systematically used live ammunition and lethal weapons against unarmed demonstrators, resulting in numerous deaths.
- Coordination with armed civilian groups (“colectivos”): State forces – particularly the GNB – permitted, tolerated, or acted jointly with armed civilians to attack and intimidate protesters.
- Mass arrests and torture: Hundreds of students and opposition supporters were arbitrarily detained during demonstrations and subjected to torture and ill-treatment in detention or during transfer to detention facilities, with numerous cases of sexual violence.
The Fact-Finding Mission found that these actions reflected an institutionalized and structured system of repression directed from the highest levels of government with the objective of silencing dissent and maintaining political control.
The Fact-Finding Mission’s investigations have also highlighted the existence of a clear chain of command originating at the highest levels of the Executive Branch, implemented with complicity of sectors of judicial actors, and carried out through the deliberate participation of the GNB and the country’s civilian and military intelligence agencies.
The Mission continues to investigate the current human rights situation in Venezuela and will present its next report to the Human Rights Council in September 2026.
