A/HRC/45/CRP.11 humiliating practices carried out by the military authorities at Ramo Verde prison. These included invasive body searches, verbal and physical attacks, strip searches, intrusive and inappropriate touching, and deprivation of personal belongings. He also reported having been prevented access to his client, sometimes for weeks at a time. The International Bar Association also expressed concern in May 2016 about the harassment suffered by Mr. Gutiérrez.898 404. On 1 August 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights adopted precautionary measures No 335-14 on behalf of Mr. López’s lawyer as a result of the threats, intimidations and aggressive and invasive searches by the military authorities when visiting their client.899 Mr. Gutiérrez left Venezuela in 2017. Findings 405. Based on the facts above, the Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that Leopoldo López was victim of arbitrary detention. Both SEBIN and DGCIM were involved in different ways. SEBIN Director at the time, General Manuel Gregorio Bernal Martínez, pressured the prosecutor to sign the arrest warrant for Mr. Lopez. DGCIM officers were involved in the search of both Mr. Lopez’s and his parents’ house as well as in the violent night searches while he was in detention in Ramo Verde. 406. The Mission considers that Leopoldo López’s treatment and conditions in Ramo Verde may amount to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. National Guard Colonel Jose Viloria Sosa was the Director of Ramo Verde at the time of these events. CASE 2: Antonio Ledezma 407. Antonio Ledezma is a lawyer and politician. He is a member of the Democratic Alliance party and was founder of the Alianza Bravo Pueblo party. In a long political career, he has been a National Assembly deputy, a senator (of the former Senate), federal district governor, and mayor of both Libertador municipality and Caracas Metropolitan District, a position that he held from 2008 until his arrest on 19 February 2015. Arrest and Detention 408. On 19 February 2015, around 5.30 p.m., Mr. Ledezma was arrested at his office on Avenida Libertador, Chacao Municipality, Caracas. Several police cars and Humvee-style vehicles were deployed for the arrest. Around 20 law enforcement officers wearing balaclavas (later revealed to be SEBIN) entered the building and appeared at the entrance of his office. Mr. Ledezma did not open the door and instead requested a search or arrest warrant.900 409. The SEBIN officers did not present a warrant and did not inform Mr. Ledezma of the reasons for his arrest. The SEBIN officers broke down the office door and removed Mr. Ledezma by force.901 The Mission verified and geo-located a video of the arrest that was available on the internet at the time of writing.902 Mr. Ledezma’s lawyers and family did not know his whereabouts for approximately ten hours following his arrest. 903 898 899 900 901 902 903 102 International Bar Assocation, IBAHRI concerned by harassment of lawyer Juan Carlos Gutiérrez in Venezuela, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.ibanet.org/Article/NewDetail.aspx?ArticleUid=6127D428-FF18-4765-97672DE1A17B7CF5 See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Resolution 18/2016, 1 April 2016, available at: https://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/pdf/2016/MC335-14-Es-ampliacion.pdf Written information submitted by Mr. Ledezma to the Mission on 26 May 2020. Ibid. YouTube Video, La Opinión Cúcuta, Así quedó registrada la captura del alcalde de Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, 20 February 2015, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVnw5-h9Tbk Document submitted by Ledezma’s lawyers to the judge of the Sixth Control Court of Caracas on 27 April 2015, Solicitud de nulidades y Promoción de pruebas, p. 23. Document on file with the Mission.