Before they were arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison on conspiracy charges, the six Venezuelan activists marched peacefully to call for better salaries for teachers, according to their families and lawyers.
Some had taken part in non-violent protests for years, despite long-running and internationally-condemned efforts by President Nicolas Maduro's government to tamp down dissent in the country, which is under U.S.
In a statement, two U.N. experts said the long prison terms handed down to the six activists amounted to "an attempt to take civil society actors out of circulation and damage civic space in Venezuela." "It's probable that if the international community doesn't react in an effective and multilateral way, that repression will rise before the elections," said Juan Pappier of Human Rights Watch.While reliable statistics on arrest rates, convictions and sentences are hard to come by in Venezuela, Foro Penal, an NGO that offers pro bono legal services, says 288 people are in jail for political reasons.
"They are sowing hate, division, because the sectors of the far right want once again to take the country to protests, to division, to hate," Maduro said on state television in late August. "We cannot allow fascism or support for a coup to once again fill the streets with violence."Among those defended by Foro Penal is Javier Tarazona, 41, director of FundaRedes, which tracks alleged abuses by Colombian armed groups and the Venezuelan military along the countries' border.
Carreno's trial is expected to begin again at the end of September, said his lawyer, Joel Garcia. Tarazona's has yet to be rescheduled, Himiob said. They face between 25 and 30 in prison if convicted.
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