Amnesty International Argentina reported on Friday that arbitrary arrests in Venezuela have spiked amid the recent attempts by several countries to normalize diplomatic relations with President Nicolas Maduro’s government. 

The organization issued a statement emphasizing the persistence of “methods to repress citizens whose ideas differ from the authorities or fight against government” in the country.

“In recent days, people involved in social protest, indigenous peoples, and others have been victims of human rights violations that include arbitrary arrests to silence and repress those who are perceived as opposing Nicolás Maduro’s government,” read the statement.

“The use of this repressive tactic must raise alarm among the international community and increase scrutiny and accountability.”

According to Amnesty, Venezuelan civil society organizations estimate that there are currently around 300 people in jail for political reasons. Thousands of others have allegedly been temporarily detained and their freedoms are now restricted via measures such as foreign travel bans and mandatory periodic appearances in court. 

The organization details some recent cases, such as the SIDOR workers’ strike, where employees of the public steel company Siderúrgica del Orinoco staged a protest on June 11 demanding an improvement in their collective contract. According to the report, steel workers’ union leaders Leandro Azócar, Juan Cabrera and Daniel Romero were intercepted by military counterintelligence (DGCIM) officials immediately after leaving the protest at the factory.

“While Juan Cabrera was released hours after his detention, local organizations informed Amnesty International that Azócar and Romero’s whereabouts were unknown for eight days, in what could have constituted a case of enforced disappearance, until the Ombudsman’s office informed on June 20 that they had apparently been transferred to Caracas and are now in custody at the DGCIM headquarters in Boleíta, more than 600 km from where they were arrested.” 

The detention center has been observed by the United Nations’ Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (MIIDH, by its Spanish initials) on Venezuela, which has documented torture patterns and crimes against humanity in the facility. 

The charges against Azocar and Romero remain unknown, as their lawyers have been denied access to their defendants. Meanwhile, a labor court in the state of Bolívar, the location of the SIDOR factory, has arbitrarily restricted 22 workers from exercising their right to strike, peaceful protest and freedom of speech. The court ordered them to abstain from “any action or threat meant to disturb, suspend, hinder, interrupt or stop SIDOR’s activities”, and prohibited them from “promoting situations of conflict” or placing “signs, posters, graffiti or any other form of communication through any media and/or social media that may incite hatred.” 

Amnesty’s statement also mentions a June 16 event in which the National Bolivarian Guard (GNB) allegedly attacked and arrested seven members of the indigenous yukpa people who were protesting and demanding the Maduro administration abide by previously agreed commitments to their rights. 

“Amnesty International received information on three of them: Zenaida Romero, Alfonso Romero and Francisco (Francisquito) Romero, who may have been detained and charged by authorities, but their whereabouts are still unknown, which may constitute enforced disappearance.”

Amnesty concluded by recommending that the international community back the MIIDH efforts, demand Maduro’s regime immediately stop using arbitrary detentions to repress the population, and release all those arrested for political reasons, including Emirlendris Benítez, Guillermo Zárraga, Javier Tarazona, Leandro Azócar, Daniel Romero, Zenaida Romero, Alfonso Romero and Francisco (Francisquito) Romero.;

The organization also asked the International Criminal Court’s Prosecution Office to resume an investigation into Venezuela, incorporating Amnesty’s findings.