Venezuela recorded more than 600 homicides and 330 kidnappings in its border areas in 2022

A total of 644 homicides there 334 disappearances and abductions have been documented in border regions of Venezuela by a human rights NGO netfounderwho presented this Thursday a report on the violence in the border areas.

The number of violent deaths in the border areas of this country of 30 million inhabitants decreased by 34.2% in 2022 compared to that of 2021 (979), but that of disappearances and abductions has climbed 7.4% compared to the previous year (309), according to the study by Fundaredes activists in the border states with Colombia, Brazil and Caribbean countries like Curacao and Aruba.

Adriangela Álvarez, researcher of Fundaredes, warned that 80 of the 334 victims of disappearances and abductions were womenthe majority when they sought to emigrate forced by a serious economic crisis which, according to the UN, has led to more than 7 million Venezuelans leave his country.

“They become easy prey for criminal organizations dedicated to human traffickingas well as irregular armed groups and criminal gangs who, through deceptive offers, capture them and subject them to forced labor and prostitution,” the report said.

Critic of the regime of Nicolás Maduro, the NGO denounced the activity of criminal groups and Colombian guerrilla fighters from ELN and FARC dissidents, as well as illegal mining mafias.

Fundaredes reported 167 violent clashes in 2022the majority with the action of state security forces.

Your manager, Javier Tarazonaremains in prison in Venezuela since July 2, 2021, charged with “terrorism”, “incitement to hatred” and “treason“. The NGO denounces a “arbitrary” and “illegal” detention and demands his freedom.

The ace The United Nations considered “a disturbing example” of the “restrictions on civic space” in Venezuela, the arrests of Tarazona and two other activists who were later released with the order to appear periodically in court. They happened after accusing the Maduro dictatorship of having links with irregular armed groups operating at the border.

Venezuela is one of the guarantor countries of the “peace negotiations” that the Colombian government took over on November 21 with the ELN, which seeks to emulate the historic agreement signed in 2016 with the FARC.

A report published on February 9 shows what are Countries with the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2022. Research InsightCrime Note that Venezuela is the most violent country in the region. Although the figures have remained stable in 2022, the Caribbean country records 40.4 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), in 2022 there were a total of 9,367 violent deaths. This results in a average of 26 murders per day.

Most of the violence is generated by gangs and not by larger and better organized criminal groups, and the focus of crimes is in the north-central area of ​​the country. According InsightCrime, the increase in crimes committed by smaller criminal gangs is linked to the de facto dollarization of the country. With greater circulation of cash dollars that cannot be deposited in banks, people are more susceptible to theft.

Besides, The report denounces that 13% of criminal deaths are the result of interventions by law enforcement. In this regard, there are reports of extrajudicial executions by the police.

(With information from AFP)

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