A/HRC/45/CRP.11 designated “peace quadrants”597, which was described as the “heart” of the plan;598 the strengthening of the System of Protection for Peace;599 and the reformulation of the Operations of People’s Liberation (OLP),600 into the Operations of People’s Humane Liberation (OLHP). 235. Peace Zones: The Government established the Peace Zones under the leadership of then-Vice Minister of the Interior, José Vicente Rangel Arévalo in 2013, as part of the Plans of Pacification and Peace to reduce organized crime.601 Under an informal agreement, criminal gangs agreed to disarm and abandon criminal activities in exchange for social investment and job creation schemes.602 The Government also agreed, controversially, to keep police from entering the Peace Zone areas.603 Statistics are unavailable, but many have claimed that the Peace Zones failed to reduce organized crime as criminal elements did not transition to licit activities, in some cases selling goods the Government provided to buy more sophisticated weapons.604 It is also claimed that the Peace Zones allowed criminal gangs to operate with impunity and to strengthen, consolidating their power in the area. 605 236. The Protection Systems for Peace (SP3): The November 2014 Organic Law on Security of the Nation created the System of Protection for Peace (Sistema de Protección para la Paz – SP3), “in order to promote and execute a new criminal policy and citizen security plans against external and internal threats to the security of the nation”. 606 The System of Protection for Peace architecture was further drawn out in a special decree published in January 2015.607 President Maduro described the SP3 as a system of various strategic lines of defence to combat insecurity and “promote peace” in the country as part of the Plan Patria Segura.608 The strengthening of the System of Protection for Peace, which were described as “popular intelligence” networks to identify criminal groups, in order to announce, alert, warn about threats in different spheres - political, economic, social and cultural.609 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 “reactivation of Patria Segura” (minute 41:15); and the development of a communication strategy to describe to the population the nature of these criminal organizations. See news on the peace quadrants here: https://www.vtv.gob.ve/tag/cuadrantes-de-paz/. Ibid., minute 43:20. The President announced that those participating in the central directorate would by the PNB, the SEBIN, the UBCh and the Frente Francisco de Miranda (minute 54.19). The colectivos: were also called on to join the peace quadrants (minute 1:05:00). Ibid., minute 1:13:00. Ibid., minute 1:15.00. See YouTube Video, TeleSURtv, Maduro presenta plan para la pacificación nacional, 14 February 2014, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jaUaFmLK7M. See YouTube Video, Diario Panorama, Rangel Ávalos: Nos hemos reunido con 280 bandas en el estado Miranda, 25 August 2013, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOhEvicOgFo. Some have suggested that the criminal leaders with the Peace Zones agreed that the areas under their control would not participate in protests against the State, including regarding the economic and social situation, thus helping to advance the Government’s social control interests. Mission Interview SCHH01 in May 2020. Red de activismo e investigación para la convivencia – REACIN, Entrevista con F.S., March 2020. See also RunRun.es, Zonas de paz: Corredores para el libre comercio de la droga, 17 June 2015, available at: https://runrun.es/investigacion/207830/zonas-de-paz-corredores-para-el-libre-comerciode-la-droga/. Efecto Cocuyo, Zonas de Paz en Caracas tienen al menos seis corredores de la muerte, 24 March 2016, available at: https://efectococuyo.com/la-humanidad/zonas-de-paz-en-caracas-tienen-al-menosseis-corredores-de-la-muerte/. 2014 Organic Security Law, art. 59. Decree No. 1417 of 19 November 2014, Published in Official Gazette No. 40.582, 16 January 2015, available at: https://dhqrdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/sistema-popular-de-proteccic3b3n-parala-paz.pdf. See YouTube Video, Luigino Bracci Roa, Cadena completa: Nicolás Maduro activa seis líneas para combatir la inseguridad, 18 January 2017, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZIia4O6X60. Ibid., minute 1:13:00. 63