A/HRC/45/CRP.11 investigation against Mr. Marrero. They requested search and arrest warrants from the First Court of Control on Terrorism-Related Crimes.1326 On 20 March 2019, Judge Carol Padilla granted both requests.1327 676. Sergio Vergara, a National Assembly member who lived in the same apartment building as Mr. Marrero,1328 told the Mission that armed men with covered faces entered his apartment through an open window at around 2.30 a.m. on 21 March 2019.1329 The men, later revealed as SEBIN officers, pointed a gun at Mr. Vergara and forced him to the ground with a knee on his back. Another group broke down the door and around 30 more officers entered searching the apartment. They did not present a search warrant.1330 677. After about 20-25 minutes, prosecutors Mr. Mora Salcedo and Ms. Bustamante Puerta entered the apartment, staying few minutes. Approximately an hour into the search, a senior SEBIN official entered the apartment with his face covered. He said he was in charge of the operation, but did not provide his name. An hour later prosecutor Mora Salcedo returned and said there had been a mistake and that they would respect Mr. Vergara’s immunity and pay for the damage they had caused. When they left the apartment at around 5 a.m., Mr. Vergara saw them enter Mr. Marrero’s apartment.1331 678. After entering Mr. Marrero’s apartment, SEBIN officers reported finding two automatic rifles and one grenade. Mr. Marrero accused the officers of planting the weapons in his apartment.1332 From next door, Mr. Vergara heard Mr. Marrero shouting, “They sneaked two rifles and a grenade into my house!”1333 Mr. Marrero later confirmed this to his lawyer.1334 One of Mr. Marrero’s lawyers came to his residence during the search but SEBIN officers prevented him from entering.1335 679. Christopher Figuera, SEBIN Director at the time of Marrero’s arrest and detention, confirmed in a number of interviews that he received the order to place weapons in Mr. Marrero’s house directly from President Maduro. According to Mr. Figuera, DGCIM Director, Iván Hernández Dala procured and supplied the weapons. 1336 1326 1327 1328 1329 1330 1331 1332 1333 1334 1335 1336 Formal accusation of the Twentieth National Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía Vigésima 20° A Nivel Nacional) to the Court of Control on Terrorism-Related Crimes (Tribunal Especial Primero de Primera Instancia en Funciones de Control con Competencia en Casos vinculados con delitos asociados al Terrorismo con jurisdicción a nivel nacional), MP-81818-2019 01-CT-014-19, 12 May 2019. See also, opinion of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, A/HRC/WGAD/2019/75. Ibid. Mission Interview with Sergio Vergara on 11 May 2020. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Mr. Vergara also reported that on 8 May 2019, the Supreme Court requested his prosecution for the events of 30 April 2019 (when, in what was referred to as “Operation Freedom”, Juan Guaidó attempted to launch a military-backed effort to oust President Maduro) and that on 14 May 2019 the National Constituent Assembly revoked his parliamentarian immunity. Thus, Mr. Vergara sought refuge in a foreign Embassy before leaving the country. See A/HRC/WGAD/2019/75, para. 13. See YouTube Video, TVV, Allanan residencias del diputado Sergio Vergara y el abogado Roberto Marrero, cercanos a Juan Guaidó, 21 March 2019, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQqmcQxJj8E El Nacional, El mensaje de Marrero antes de ser secuestrado por funcionarios del Sebin, 21 March 2019, available at: https://www.elnacional.com/venezuela/politica/mensaje-marrero-antes-sersecuestrado-por-funcionarios-del-sebin_275626/; See also, Efecto Cocuyo, Detenido Roberto Marrero durante la madrugada de este #21Mar tras allanar su residencia, 21 March 2019, available at: https://efectococuyo.com/politica/detenido-diputado-roberto-marrero-durante-la-madrugada-de-este21mar/ Mission interview with Joel Garcia, Mr. Marrero’s lawyer on 1 May 2020. Interview with relatives on 8 May 2020. See YouTube Video, #DeFrenteConLaPacheco. Acábenlo, ordenó Maduro, 14 Feburary 2020, minute 16:40, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7vNVArAHJU&feature=youtu.be. See also #HablaFiguera Maduro solo levanta el teléfono y ordena torturar - Aló BN EVTV - 06/12/19 SEG 1, 12 July 2019, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=525&v=L6EqQ8cGaQE&feature=emb_title, from minute 3.30 and América Digital Noticias, El exjefe del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia (Sebin), 147