A/HRC/45/CRP.11 were carried out in a systematic manner.686 Targeted dissidents were also victims of short term enforced disappearances and acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment at the hands of intelligence agencies. 263. On 31 August 2020, President Maduro pardoned 110 people, mainly members of the political opposition, who had been accused of committing criminal acts. 687 Those pardoned included both individuals who had already received a judgment in their cases and individuals awaiting trial, including 23 deputies of the National Assembly and 4 alternates. Among those pardoned and released from detention were Gilber Caro, Roberto Marrero and Antonia Turbay, whose cases were investigated by the Mission. On 28 August 2020, Juan Requesens, whose case was also investigated by the Mission, was released from SEBIN Helicoide and placed under house arrest after spending over two years in detention. 688 264. While the Mission recongizes this as a positive step, its findings below related to violations carried out prior to the pardons, and described below, remain valid. 1. Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) 265. The Mission investigated 33 cases (21 men and 12 women) in which it found reasonable grounds to believe that SEBIN arrested, detained and/or tortured or ill-treated political targets and associates.689 Of these, 13 are included in the in-depth case studies below. 686 687 688 689 74 According to well-established jurisprudence, “systematic” refers to the organised nature of the acts and the recurrence of similar criminal conduct on a regular basis, involving a modus operandi that follows a regular pattern of crimes. See ICC Trial Chamber II Judgment on Katanga, 7 March 2014, para. 1123. See also: The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-AlRahman, Pre-Trial Chamber I, Decision on the Prosecution Application under Article 58(7) of the Statute, 27 April 2007, ICC02/05-01/07-1-Corr, para.62. Decision on the confirmation of charges, para. 397. See also ICTY, Kordić and Čerkez Appeal Judgement, para. 94; ICTY, Blaškić Appeal Judgement, para. 101; ICTY, Kunarac et al. Appeal Judgement, para.94; ICTR, Akayesu Trial Judgement, para. 580; ICTR, Prosecutor v. Nahimana et al., Case No.ICTR99-52-A, Appeal Judgement, 28 November 2007, para. 920. YouTube Video, TeleSurTV, Gobierno de Venezuela emite decreto de indulto a políticos opositores, 31 August 2020, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUzrg5DeJ3U Criminal Procedure Code, art. 242, para. 1. Case 1: Leopoldo López, Case 2: Antonio Ledezma, Lorent Saleh, Gabriel Valles, Rodolfo Pedro González, Daniel Ceballos, Inés González, Lessi Marcano, Rosmit Mantilla, C2EE24 (female), C2EE25 (female), C2EE15 (female), C2EE10 (female), C2CC01, Case 4: Steyci Escalona, Case 8: