Latam deputies call for special session at the OAS over Afiuni

The Parliamentary Alliance for the Democracy of America (APDA), comprised of deputies and senators from nine Latin American countries, addressed a letter to José Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), soliciting him to convene an extraordinary session at the organization to discuss the case of Venezuelan former Judge María Lourdes Afiuni, put behind bars upon Venezuelan President's Hugo Chávez express orders. 

Bolivian Deputy Adrián Oliva informed that Afiuni had recently revealed having been tortured, battered and raped in prison. She also claimed not having received the requested medical assistance.

Although the United Nations (UN) made an appeal to free Afiuni, the Venezuelan government has kept her under house arrest.

In the document, the Latin American deputies remarked, "This is one of the most serious human rights violations and one of the worst crimes against humanity in the modern history of Latin America."

The Latin American deputies and senators have proposed the OAS secretary general holding an extraordinary session at the organization to address Afiuni's case, imposing heavy sanctions on the Venezuelan Government for the mistreatment against Afiuni, and requesting her immediate release.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera