ALEXANDER TIRADO’S LIFE IS IN DANGER AND THE AUTHORITIES MUST GUARANTEE HIS INTEGRITY

Alexander Tirado is a leader of the opposition political party, Voluntad Popular (VP), who was arrested while participating in a peaceful protest and sentenced to 8 years in prison, after being subjected to an irregular judicial process. After being transferred without judicial authorization to a high-risk detention center, Tirado has been taken as a hostage by other inmates and his life is in danger. The authorities must guarantee his right to life and personal integrity immediately.

Alexander Tirado is an athlete and leader of the opposition political party, Voluntad Popular (VP).

On 21 March 2014, Tirado, along with Raúl Emilio Baduel, was arrested by officials of the Aragua State Police in the city of Maracay, Aragua state (central region), while protesting for the materialization of San José fairs during a time of high social and political conflict that had claimed the lives of many people in Venezuela.

Tirado was arrested speaking through a megaphone. Despite the existence of videos and multiple witnesses providing evidence that the protest was taking place peacefully, on 22 March 2014, the Second Trial Court of Aragua state presented charges of public incitement, public intimidation with explosive devices and criminal gang, as well as arrest warrants were issued against Baduel and Tirado.

Baduel and Tirado have reported that they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment during their preventive detention. Specifically, they report that they were beaten by police officers and transferred on multiple occasions without judicial authorization.

On 10 April, they were held in the Penitentiary Center Centro Occidente II, known as the Uribana Prison, located in the city of Barquisimeto, Lara state (central region), 4 hours away from their families and defence team. In this detention center, tear gas bombs were thrown into their cell, they were given hot food in their hands so that it would fall to the ground and waste water entered in their cell. They also denounced torture with proselytizing music at night, and the order by the custodians to lie down on hot asphalt floor, episode in which they report having suffered burns on their genitals. These facts were reported to the Office of the Prosecutor on 24 November 2014.

On 4 March 2015, the Second Trial Court of Aragua state sentenced Baduel and Tirado to eight years in prison for the crimes of public intimidation, criminal gang and instigation to disobedience.

As the lawyers explained to Amnesty International, among the arbitrary acts committed in their prosecution and sentencing, there is the unjustified exclusion of evidence -such as videos presented in which the peaceful nature of the protest is demonstrated-, and to base the sentence on the use of a megaphone as a sign that they were in place with objects that could endanger public calmness. In addition, the lawyers were denied copies of the first proceedings, and the hearings held were not recorded, despite being a legal requirement.

In the appealing process, the irregularities continued: the Court of Appeals did not materialize the transfer of Baduel and Tirado to the seat of the Court, so they could not be heard. On 31 July 2015, the appeal was dismissed.

On 15 June 2016, the appeal was filed to request the cancellation of the arrest warrant, given that two years, two months and 24 days after the arrest of Baduel and Tirado, no firm sentence had been issued. Until March 2017, there had not been a judgment on the matter.

On 14 January 2017, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued a precautionary measure requesting the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to protect the life of Baduel and Tirado, given the situation of risk given the arbitrary detention as a result of his political position.

Currently, Baduel and Tirado are in Centro Experimental de Rehabilitación y Reclusión (Experimental Center for Rehabilitation and Detention in English) in the state of Aragua (central region). They have been in four detention centers.

On 22 November 2017, Alexander Tirado spent his fourth birthday in prison, serving an arbitrary sentence.

On 24 January 2018, Alexander Tirado was taken from the Experimental Center for Rehabilitation and Detention (CERRA, acronym in Spanish) in Maracay city, Aragua state, and held in the Prison Tocuyito, Carabobo state, without judicial authorization and without having notified his defence. He has been in four detention centers.

On 14 February 2018, the lawyer warned about Tirado’s safety, after those deprived of liberty in the Prison Tocuyito had started a riot and taken the custodians and other detainees as hostages, including Tirado, to demand transfers to other detention centers. The lawyer also shared images on social media, in which it can be observed Tirado tied to a fence, while the inmates who lead the kidnapping point at him with guns and grenades.

In the middle of the night, Tirado explained through an audio file that the authorities had not given any response. He also reported that water, electricity and gas had been cut, that shots were heard and that if these services were not restored, people would begin to be injured. Tirado said: "I fear for my life. I don’t want to die in a prison. "

Amnesty International Venezuela’s Director, Marcos Gómez, said: "While Alexander Tirado is being held, it is the authorities’ responsibility to guarantee his physical integrity and ensure his prompt release from such kidnapping." He also urged them to allow his transfer to lower-risk facilities while they finish processing their total release, as it is a cruel punishment to detain him in this type of prison where he is exposed to a situation of greater vulnerability and further intensifies the violation to his rights.

On 16 February afternoon, Alexander Tirado’s defence informed he was with the authorities of the Ministry for Penitentiary Affairs.