A/HRC/45/CRP.11 Defence.533 Under its 2015 bylaw, DGCIM has broad powers to “conduct, coordinate and execute activities aimed at the discovery, prevention and shutdown of enemy activity”. 534 It is also tasked to “prevent and cut off the intelligence, counter-intelligence and subversive activities of enemies acting against” the FANB535 and to protect the President.536 DGCIM has a detention centre in its headquarters in Boleíta Norte. See Chapter III on Targeted Political Repression below for a detailed description of this detention facility. 210. DGCIM comprises a General Directorate, a Sub-Directorate General, Line Directorates, Military Counter-intelligence Regions and “other operational bodies and agencies that are necessary for the full accomplishment of the mission”.537 The DGCIM Director is appointed and can be removed by the President.538 He or she also acts as an advisor to the President regarding the appointment of key military personnel and the Minister of Defence.539 Iván Rafael Hernández Dala has been the head of DGCIM since January 2014.540 He also serves as the head of the presidential Honour Guard. In December 2019, President Maduro promoted 179 of members of DGCIM and the Honour Guard to a superior military rank.541 The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) 211. SEBIN was created in 2010, replacing the National Direction on Intelligence Services and Prevention (Dirección Nacional de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención).542 In April 2013, President Maduro transferred responsibility of SEBIN from the Ministry of the Interior, Justice and Peace to the Vice-Presidency (a position he held until becoming president).543 The SEBIN carries out civilian intelligence and counter-intelligence activities to “neutralize potential or real threats” of the State, whether internal or external.544 Among its functions is to advise the President in matters of security and defence of the Nation. 545 212. The SEBIN organic law was reformed in November 2016 by Presidential Decree, but in substantive terms is similar to the organic law of 2013.546 SEBIN has a director level; an administrative support level; a substantive level, composed of the intelligence, counterintelligence and strategic investigations units; and an operational level, territorially decentralized. Its substantive units include the Directorates of Intelligence; CounterIntelligence; Strategic Investigations; Immediate Actions and the Centre of Intelligence Studies. It oversees detention centres in El Helicoide and in Plaza Venezuela, which has seven detention cells known as “the Tomb” (La Tumba). See Chapter III on Targeted Political Repression below for a detailed description of these detention facilities. 213. The SEBIN hierarchy consists of the Director General (appointed by the President), the Subdirector General, the Secretary General and the Directors. Officials occupying these 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 Presidential Decree No. 1605, published in the Official Gazette No. 40.599, 10 February 2015, art. 2, available at: http://www.franciscosantana.net/2016/02/reglamento-organico-de-la-direccion.html, art. 2. Ibid., art. 3. Ibid. Ibid. Presidential Decree No. 1605, published in the Official Gazette No. 40.599, 10 February 2015, art. 4, available at: http://www.franciscosantana.net/2016/02/reglamento-organico-de-la-direccion.html. Ibid., art. 6. Ibid., art. 7. Official Gazette No. 40.333, available at: https://pandectasdigital.blogspot.com/2017/11/gacetaoficial-de-la-republica_97.html. See YouTube Video, Luigino Bracci Roa, Presidente Maduro en ascensos de la Guardia de Honor y el DGCIM, 10 December 2019, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X_H49xk8dU. Presidential Decree No. 7.453, published in Official Gazette No. 39.436 of 1 June 2010. Decree No. 2524, Reglamento Orgánico del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (SEBIN), published in Official Gazette No. 40.153, 24 April 2013, available at: http://www.franciscosantana.net/2013/04/reglamento-organico-del-servicio.html. Ibid., art. 3. Ibid., art. 4. Presidential Decree No. 2524 of 1 November 2016 published in the Official Gazette No. 41,021 1 November 2016, available at: http://www.franciscosantana.net/2016/11/nueva-reforma-delreglamento-organico.html. 57