A/HRC/45/CRP.11 The Death of Two Stepbrothers 1141. The stepbrothers came from a low-income family and lived together. C4FF21 worked as an angler, despite having a disability. The eldest brother, C4FF22, worked for a local newspaper.2026 1142. According to a reliable source, CPBEZ officers killed C4FF21 in the corridor of his house, in front of his mother. As the officers were removing the body, his brother C4FF22 arrived. The police arrested him and took him away, supposedly to make a statement. When their mother went to the morgue to identify C4FF21’s body, she found her other son lying on the stretcher next to him.2027 1143. The stepbrothers’ case was assigned to the Forty-Fifth Prosecutor’s Office. The family initially pressed for an investigation into the deaths, but later stopped asking questions of authorities, after feeling intimidated by patrols parked near their house. They feared that something could happen to another member of the family.2028 1144. The Mission interviewed a female victim who witnessed some of the events. She passed by the stepbrother’s home on the morning of 14 September 2015 as it was surrounded by police officers. She recognized C4FF21, who had just returned from fishing. When the woman passed the house again a couple of hours later, she found her neighbour crying desperately because her son had been killed.2029 The Death of C4FF23 1145. The victim, C4FF23, had four siblings. One of them had been in prison since 2013 for murder.2030 At between 4 and 5 a.m. on 14 September 2015 security forces broke into the victim’s house. A female relative, C4FF04, was in the house across the street. 1146. C4FF04 got dressed and crossed the street, where she saw tens of security officers from the PNB, CICPC and GNB, carrying long and short weapons. There were men and women, some in uniform, others in civilian clothes, several of whom had their faces covered. She was stopped by a group of around ten police officers, men and women, who grabbed her by the hands and neck. They took her phone away. She remained outside C4FF23’s house. 1147. At around 6.30 a.m., the officers inside the victim’s house took a young male relative into custody, hooded. They forced everyone else to leave the house, leaving C4FF23 inside. C4FF04 could not see him. She heard the officers order the young man to kneel down and she heard him beg for his life. She then heard the gunshot that she believes ended his life. Shortly afterwards, C4FF04 saw the officers taking his body out of the house, wrapped in a sheet. They put him into a white van, with no official logo. 1148. C4FF04 went to the CPBEZ command in Los Patrulleros sector, where her other young male relative was detained. She saw about 60 detainees, many of them well-known local fishermen. Her relative was released that same night. 1149. After the operation, the family noticed that personal belongings were missing from the house, including money, a suitcase, make-up products and a phone. 1150. C4FF04 filed a complaint with the local Forty-Fifth Prosecutor’s Office. A few hours later, she received a text message from an unknown number, saying, “I’m watching you from the corner. You’re going to wake up with flies in your mouth”.2031 She chose not to pursue the case and left Venezuela the following month. 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 224 Ibid. Ibid. Mission Interview C4FF05 in March 2020. Mission Interview C4FF05 in March 2020. Mission Interview C4FF04 in June 2020. Ibid.