Venezuelan lawyer: Released police were victims of decades-long political persecution

The release of these three former Metropolitan Police officers marks the end of a deeply protracted and unjust chapter in Venezuela's judicial history. For over two decades, these men languished in prison, victims of a political persecution that saw them scapegoated by a system unwilling to confront its own failings. Lawyer Joel García rightly points out that their prolonged captivity was not justice, but the cruel imposition of an authoritarian regime.

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After more than 20 years of infamy, the Puente Llaguno police officers finally breathe free. They were the scapegoats of a system that preferred to sacrifice innocents rather than accept truths. Their captivity was not justice, it was the pure yoke of cruel authoritarianism.

It is a profound indictment of Venezuela's institutions that human rights organizations remained silent while courts became instruments of moral execution. The highest judicial authorities, it appears, prioritized safeguarding power over upholding the fundamental rights of the accused. This silence and complicity allowed a grave injustice to persist for far too long.

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the police officers were victims of a political persecution that lasted more than two decades.

The fact that their liberation only occurred under international pressure, rather than through an independent review of the Venezuelan judicial system, is a national shame. The authorities showed no genuine interest in rectifying the wrong; they acted only when the political winds shifted. This narrative of delayed justice, driven by external forces rather than internal reform, is a painful reflection of our current reality.

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the imprisonment of the police officers was not justice, but the pure yoke of a cruel authoritarianism.

This case, stretching back to the tumultuous events of April 11, 2002, near Puente Llaguno, highlights the deep scars left by political conflict. Accused of serious crimes, these officers received lengthy prison sentences amidst widespread accusations of procedural irregularities and a lack of due process. Their story is a stark reminder of how political instability can be exploited to ensacrifice individuals, leaving families and the nation to grapple with the consequences.

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institutions responsible for protecting human rights remained silent while the courts became 'moral execution chambers'.