A/HRC/45/CRP.11 382. There was an unusually large presence of DGCIM and SEBIN officers at the tribunal,857 along with four prosecutors, including Franklin Nieves and Narda Sanabria. 858 When Judge Tovar hesitated in isuing Leopoldo López’s arrest warrant, a DGCIM official asked her whether she wanted to become “the next Afiuni”.859 Judge María Lourdes Afiuni was detained in December 2009, following her decision to release a political prisoner implementing a decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. 860 383. Former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz also told the Mission that beginning on 12 February 2014 she came under pressure from the Executive to prosecute Mr. López with serious crimes,861 including by Diosdado Cabello, the then President of the National Assembly, who she said asked her to charge Mr. López with murder. 862 384. On 16 February 2014, Leopoldo López published a video on Twitter calling for a peaceful march on 18 February 2014 to present a petition to the Ministry of the Interior. He also announced that he would present himself to the authorities should they decide to detain him unlawfully.863 That same day, an investigative journalist published a documentary identifying those allegedly responsible for Bassil da Costa and Juan Montoya’s deaths. 864 385. In the early hours of 16 February 2014, around 20 armed and uniformed officers searched Mr. López’s home. Afterwards, they drove to Mr. López’s parents’ home, where his mother, father and wife were located. Lilian Tintori, Mr. López’s wife, told the Mission that Diosdado Cabello accompanied the DGCIM officers during the search, which lasted from midnight to 6 a.m. Diosdado Cabello returned to Mr. López’s parents’ house on 18 February between midnight and 3 a.m. to convince them to persuade Mr. López to surrender to the authorities.865 Mr. Cabello also telephoned them several times.866 386. On 18 February 2014, Mr. López briefly addressed the crowd during a protest in Caracas. Thereafter, he made his way to the National Guard security cordon with Ms. Tintori and handed himself over to them. He was arrested and taken to the Francisco de Miranda military airbase, known as “La Carlota”.867 Mr. López’s lawyer was present and told the Mission that Justo Noguera Pietri, at the time a National Guard General, escorted Mr. López in the car, from which he spoke to Diosdado Cabello. Mr. López was transferred by helicopter from “La Carlota” to Fuerte Tiuna military base.868 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 98 The high militarization of the Tribunal when hearings of Mr. Lopez trial were taking place was emphasised too by his lawyer during the interview with the Mission. Ms. Sanabria was thereafter appointed first as Director of Forensic of the Attorney General Office in September 2017 and then as judge of the Appellate Court of Caracas. Prior to these appointments, Ms. Sanabria was removed in July 2017 for allegedly facilitating the irregular entry of former Vice Attorney General Katherine Harington in the premises of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. See El Carabobeño, Destituida fiscal Narda Sanabria por presuntamente ingresar a Katherine Harington al MP, 7 July 2017, available at: https://www.el-carabobeno.com/destituida-fiscal-narda-sanabria-porpresuntamente-ingresar-a-katherine-harington-al-mp/. See OAS OEA Videos, Audiences to analyze possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela. October 16th, 2017, minute 13:00, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5zYBQYcVE, The same Working Group later declared her detention arbitrary in its case 20/2010. Her case has created an atmosphere of fear amongst judges, commonly known as the “Afiuni effect”. Mission interview with Luisa Ortega Díaz in July 2020. Ibid. See also, EFE, La exfiscal venezolana Ortega admite presión de Cabello en caso Leopoldo López, 16 February 2018, available at: https://www.efe.com/efe/america/politica/la-exfiscalvenezolana-ortega-admite-presion-de-cabello-en-caso-leopoldo-lopez/20000035-3525681; and ABC La fiscal Ortega reconoce que Leopoldo López es inocente y fue condenado por «presiones» de Cabello, 17 Feburary 2018, available at: https://www.abc.es/internacional/abci-fiscal-ortegareconoce-leopoldo-lopez-inocente-y-condenado-presiones-cabello-201802162103_noticia.html El País, Opositor venezolano Leopoldo López anuncia que se entregará a las autoridades, 16 February 2014, available at: https://www.elpais.com.co/mundo/opositor-venezolano-leopoldo-lopez-anunciaque-se-entregara-a-las-autoridades.html See YouTube Video, Ultimas Noticias, Uniformados y Civiles dispararon en Candelaria el 12F, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmHEEO_MpII Mission interview with Lilian Tintori in June 2020. Ibid. Mission interview with Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, Leopoldo López’s lawyer, in July 2020. Ibid.