Lima Group declaration on the death of Venezuelan captain

June 30, 2019

Informal translation:

“The governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Guyana, St. Lucia, members of the Lima Group, condemn the murder of Venezuelan Corvette Captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo and express their sorrow and solidarity with his family.

“The captain had been captured by armed individuals on June 21 and was brought before a judge seven days later, on June 28, with visible signs of torture. The severity of his health conditions prompted the judge to transfer him to a health centre, where he died on June 29.

“The Lima Group rejects the Maduro regime’s arbitrary detention and torture of individuals the regime considers dissidents, and urges the international community, especially the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to take immediate action to restore the rights of Venezuelans and to protect their well-being.”