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ePaper created 2015-11-10, 17:27:36 | version 1.33.00
REDACTED Page 169 of 190 National Prosecutor Katherine Harrington.739 Carlos Vecchio was also among the political leaders victims of persecution. Vecchio is a lawyer and political coordinator of Voluntad Popular. On February 27, 2014, the Office of the General Prosecutor issued an arrest warrant against him. He was accused of planning violent acts that occurred after the demonstration that raised on February 12, 2014. The Office of the General Prosecutor charged him with the crime of arson, public incitement, damage and association to commit crimes, though no evidence was ever produced linking him to these crimes.740 The warrant was issued less than a week after Voluntad Popular National Coordinator Leopoldo López surrendered to the authorities.741 “It has all the elements of a political persecution”, argued Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, Executive Secretary of the MUD.742 After spending three months in hiding, Carlos Vecchio, who has persistently denounced the violation of Human Rights in Venezuela, fled the country and has been since living in the exile.743 Socialist International has demanded“the guarantee of fundamental rights and the return of the exiled opposition leaders, rejecting the political disqualifications” explicitly mentioning the case of Carlos Vecchio.744 On November 28, 2014 the General Prosecutor’s Office cited María Corina Machado as defendant, formally accusing her of being involved in a plan to murder President Nicolás Maduro. The General Prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz announced that Machado would be investigated by National Prosecutor Katherine Harrington. For the same events Prosecutor Harrington has also been investigating Henrique Salas Romer, Diego Arria Salicetti, Ricardo Emilio Koesling, Gustavo Tarre Briceno, Pedro Mario Burelli and Robert Alonso. 739 NOTICIAS24. (2015) Gaby Arellano fue imputada por el delito de conspiración (+fotos). Noticias24. [Online] 16 January. Available from: http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/270663/gaby- arellano-asistira-hoy-a-la-fiscalia-tras-ser-citada-en-calidad-de-imputada/ [Accessed 26 October, 2015] 740 PRIMICIA. (2014) Carlos Vecchio acusado de incendio internacional, instigación pública y daños. Primicia. [Online] 27 February. Available from: http://www.primicia.com.ve/politica/carlos-vecchio- acusado-de-incendio-intencional-instigacion-publica-y-danos.html [Accessed 26 October, 2015] 741 EL PAIS. (2014) Hallado muerto Rodolfo González, prisionero político venezolano 742 EL PAIS. (2014) Hallado muerto Rodolfo González, prisionero político venezolano 743 CEPAZ. (2014) Sistematización de patrones de persecución a la disidencia política venezolana. Centro de Justicia y Paz. [Online] December. Available from: http://www.derechos.org.ve/pw/wp- content/uploads/Informe-final-Persecución-pol%C3%ADtica-en-Venezuela.pdf [Accessed 26 October, 2015] . See also: LA PRENSA. (2014) Carlos Vecchio huye para denunciar situación venezolana. La Prensa. [Online] 6 June. Available from: http://www.prensa.com/mundo/Carlos-Vecchio-denunciar- situacion-venezolana_0_3952104797.html [Accessed 26 October, 2015] 744 UN. (2015) Meeting of the Council of the Socialist International. United Nations. [Online] 7 June. Available from: http://www.socialistinternational.org/images/dynamicImages/files/FINAL%20Venezuela-Eng(1).pdf [Accessed 26 October, 2015]