Carlos Andrés García (politician)

Carlos Andrés García (c. 1973 – 17 September 2017) was a Venezuelan politician who served as councilor of Guasdualito, Apure, and who died while incarcerated by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN).

Carlos Andrés García
Bornc. 1973
Died17 September 2017(2017-09-17) (aged 43–44)
San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela
NationalityVenezuelan
OccupationPolitician
Political partyJustice First

Detention and death

On 17 December 2016, the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) raided the house of Councilman García and arrested him after several protests were registered in Guasdualito that resulted in at least three bank entities looted and one injured and during negotiations between the opposition and the government.[1] The opposition deputy for the Apure state, Luis Lippa, was also detained "to protect him", violating his parliamentary immunity, being released shortly afterwards.[2] The councilman was arrested allegedly in possession of a sum of money in cash, but the Justice First party assured that the security forces planted a package of bills that supposedly at that time was no longer valid. The authorities considered that the sum of money was suspicious, but Garcia assured that it was a set-up and declared innocence.[3][4] García remained in custody accused of the crimes of theft, public incitement and arson, without a trial being instituted against him.[5] Justice First also denounced that despite demanding García's release for health reasons, the government "refused and he left him unjustly detained."[6]

In August 2017, García suffered a stroke while he was being held in SEBIN prison. Security officials reportedly systematically refused to give medical attention to García and ignored the orders to allow the councilor to move to a hospital center. Family members reported that the officials did not deliver him the medicines that he had to take by prescription that they had sent him. His sister Yhorlenys Aular also complained that the officials claimed that García was only "pretending" to be ill and that they did not provide him first aid.[4][6][7]

Up until 17 August, SEBIN was reported to have refused to transfer him to a healthcare center.[8] However, the following day, he was transferred to the Central Hospital of San Cristóbal, Táchira.[9] Justice First affirmed that García "was only transferred to a health center when there was no possibility of doing anything to improve his health". On 17 September 2017, the councilor's family confirmed his death at the health center.[10][11][12][13] Despite being considered a political prisoner and having received the benefit of house arrest as Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma, the order was not executed by the security forces.[3] The government refused to allow an autopsy of the body.[3][4][6]

Reactions
It is the best demonstration of how perverse a government can be and how the life of the Venezuelans can be worth nothing to a government.

Tomás Guanipa[5]

Justice First stated that Garcia's death was the exclusive responsibility of the government.[14][15] Fellow councilors stated that they would take García's case to international instances.[16] During a press conference on 18 September, Tomás Guanipa, deputy and secretary general of Justice First, reported that a complaint would be lodged with the Prosecutor's Office, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Office of the Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.[5][17]

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) issued a statement affirming that García entered the Central Hospital of San Cristóbal with a "pathology of arterial hypertension", which received the proper medical attention from his date of admission and was even subjected to "different medical studies showing a pathological result of presumed infectious immunodeficient disease, all of which could have produced complications in the pathology of cerebral toxoplasmosis", which according to the tribunal led to his death. The tribunal also maintained that there were no warnings or requests in García's file about him suffering from a chronic illness and asked the opposition "to refrain from issuing irresponsible opinions with false information and with the sole purpose of causing alarm in the population".[5][9][18][19]

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro and the Venezuelan Attorney General in exile Luisa Ortega Díaz blamed the government for the death of councilman García and described it as another violation of human rights in the country.[20][21] The metropolitan mayor Antonio Ledezma and the NGO Foro Penal attributed the death to the lack of timely medical attention. Deputy Freddy Guevara and member of the opposition María Corina Machado described the death as a "murder".[5] Baruta councilor and coordinator of the Popular Will party Luis Somaza stated that "The death of Councilman Carlos Andrés García makes it even clearer to the world that in Venezuela there are political prisoners and that their human rights are violated," stating that García was deprived of medical attention when he required it and that was the reason for his death.[22] The governor of Miranda Henrique Capriles extended his condolences to García's family.[5] It was announced that the National Assembly would investigate Garcia's death.[23][24]

See also

References
  1. "Denuncian que Sebin allana casa del concejal Carlos Andres García en Guasdualito" [Denounced that Sebin raids house of the councilman Carlos Andres García in Guasdualito]. Diario 2001 (in Spanish). 17 December 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. "Liberaron al diputado opositor Luis Lippa tras ser detenido "para protegerlo" (+Tuits)" [Opposition deputy Luis Lippa was freed after being arrested "to protect him" (+Tweets)]. Diario 2001 (in Spanish). 16 December 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. "Fallece concejal Carlos Andrés García en sede del Sebin, denuncia Primero Justicia" [Councilor Carlos Andrés García dies in Sebin headquarters, denounces Justice First]. Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  4. "Relatan cómo fue la muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García" [Told how the death of councilor Carlos Andrés García was]. EP Mundo (in Spanish). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  5. "Muere concejal opositor en calabozo de Venezuela: acusan al gobierno" [Opposition councilor dies in Venezuelan jail: Government accused]. CNN en Español (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  6. "Muere un concejal opositor venezolano que estaba preso, su familia denuncia que no recibió atención médica" [A Venezuelan opposition councilor who was imprisoned dies, his family denounces that he did not receive medical attention]. Univision (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  7. Arenas, Macky (19 September 2017). "Venezuela consternada: ¿De qué murió el concejal Carlos Andrés García?" [Venezuela in dismay: What did councilor Carlos Andrés García die of?]. Aleteia (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. "¡DELICADO! Exigen traslado del concejal Carlos Andrés García a un centro de salud" [DELICATE! Demanded transfer of Councilman Carlos Andrés García to a health center]. Noticias Al Minuto (in Spanish). 17 August 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  9. "TSJ informó que concejal Carlos García recibió atención médica en agosto" [TSJ reported that councilman Carlos García received medical attention in August]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  10. "Murió concejal de Primero Justicia detenido por el Sebin" [Councilman of Primero Justicia arrested by the Sebin dies]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  11. Vinogradoff, Ludmila (18 September 2017). "Venezuela: un preso político muere en la cárcel" [Venezuela: Political prisoner dies in jail]. Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  12. "Murió Carlos Andrés García, concejal apureño y preso político" [Carlos Andrés García, councilor from Apure and political prisoner, dies]. El Carabobeño (in Spanish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  13. "Muere concejal Carlos Andrés García preso en el Sebin tras no recibir asistencia médica" [Councilman Carlos Andrés García dies in prison after not receiving medical assistance]. El Impulso (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  14. "Primero Justicia culpó al Gobierno por muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García" [Justice First blamed the Government for the death of Councilman Carlos Andrés García]. Diario 2001 (in Spanish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  15. "Primero Justicia responsabiliza al gobierno por la muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García" [Justice First blames the government for the death of Councilman Carlos Andrés García]. 800 Noticias (in Spanish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  16. "Concejales llevarán el caso de Carlos Andrés García a instancias internacionales" [Councilors will take the case of Carlos Andrés García to international instances]. VPI TV (in Spanish). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  17. "CIDH recibirá denuncia sobre muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García" [IACHR will receive report on the death of Councilman Carlos Andrés García]. El Político (in Spanish). 20 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  18. "El TSJ dice que el concejal Carlos Andrés García habría muerto a causa de una enfermedad inmunodeficiente" [The TSJ says that the councilman Carlos Andrés García died from an immunodeficient disease]. La Información (in Spanish). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  19. "El TSJ de Venezuela dice que el concejal Carlos Andrés García habría muerto a causa de una enfermedad inmunodeficiente" [The TSJ of Venezuela says that Councilman Carlos Andrés García died from an immunodeficient disease] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  20. "La OEA acusa al Gobierno venezolano de la muerte del concejal opositor Carlos Andrés García" [The OAS accuses the Venezuelan government of the death of the opposition councilor Carlos Andrés García]. Notimérica (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  21. "Luisa Ortega Díaz: "Muerte de concejal Carlos Andrés García constituye otra violación de los DDHH"" [Luisa Ortega Díaz: "Death of councilor Carlos Andrés García constitutes another violation of human rights"]. El Pitazo (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  22. "Luis Somaza: El régimen de Maduro le negó asistencia médica a Carlos García y murió" [Luis Somaza: The Maduro regime denied medical assistance to Carlos García and died]. Feed Noticias (in Spanish). 18 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  23. "AN investigará muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García" [AN will investigate the death of councilor Carlos Andrés García]. Analítica (in Spanish). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  24. Lossada, Eduardo (20 September 2017). "Muerte del concejal Carlos Andrés García será investigada por la AN" [Death of Councilman Carlos Andrés García will be investigated by the AN]. Correo del Orinoco (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2019.
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