Amnesty: The Netherlands and Curaçao must release hunger-stricken Venezuelans

WILLEMSTAD - A group of twelve imprisoned Venezuelan asylum seekers went on a hunger strike. The Venezuelans ask for protection against the Maduro regime, but are imprisoned on the island.

Amnesty International speaks of "inhumane conditions" and calls on the governments of the Netherlands and Curaçao to end the detention. "It is sad that it has to get to the point where these people go on hunger strike out of sheer desperation," says Gadmar Oudshoorn, director of Amnesty International in the Netherlands.

The asylum seekers have been detained in harsh circumstances for more than eight months, in some cases between convicted criminals in the punishment section of the Curaçao prison.

The Venezuelans say they are humiliated by prison guards. They would also receive food too late or not at all and would only be aired for a short time. Their lawyers hardly have access to assist them.

"This is the umpteenth cry for help from the immigration barracks in Curaçao," says Oudshoorn. “People who seek protection do not belong in detention. And certainly not under these inhuman conditions."

According to immigration lawyers on the island, Curaçao has no asylum procedure and collectively deports Venezuelan migrants.

Those who call themselves political refugees and ask for protection based on Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights are detained until a decision is made as to whether or not they can remain on the island temporarily.

Amnesty calls on Prime Minister Rhuggenaath to immediately improve the conditions for detained asylum seekers and to provide alternatives to detention. "The Netherlands must make every effort to ensure that this happens."

One of the detained asylum seekers is Danilo Diaz Branchi. He is behind bars in block one of the criminal prison in Curaçao. According to the Curaçao Minister of Justice, this is because he is on an Interpol investigation list.

According to Maya Elzinga-Soumah, Diaz Branchi's lawyer, he is the example of a political refugee who is unsure of his life in Venezuela. The asylum seeker is said to have been put on the investigation list by Oswald Rodriguez Leon, the chief of the security service in Venezuela. "Rodriguez Leon is known for disappearances of political opponents from Maduro," says the lawyer.

"The very fact that he is on the Interpol investigation list was a reason for him to flee to Curaçao and to apply for asylum," says Elzinga-Soumah. "Venezuela has still not asked for extradition, there is no criminal investigation, so Danilo is behind bars without legitimate grounds."

Curaçao has its own legislation that does not allow foreign nationals to stay in jail for more than six months. Detention between criminal prisoners is also not permitted. That nevertheless happens and Minister Girigorie of Justice refuses to release the group.

Two weeks ago, the standing Chamber Committee for Kingdom Relations also said that the government should end the detention. That was after a visit to the immigration barracks.

In a letter to Minister Raymond Knops, the Committee stated that if the stay was longer than two months - in view of the applicable regulations, international treaties and human rights - the situation in the barracks was unworthy of human beings.

Prime Minister Rhuggenaath was unable to respond. The Minister of Justice in Curaçao says he is aware of the hunger strike.




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