A/HRC/45/CRP.11 Another guard later comments, “It is ugly, I saw it, you can see his bones”.1545 In another video reviewed by the Mission, Colonel Acevedo appears sitting on a chair while a person is examining his wrists.1546 841. On 7 February 2019, the Minister of Communications and Information, Jorge Rodríguez made a public statement about the arrests and shared Colonel Palomo’s videotaped confession.1547 The Mission interviewed his wife and legal team, all of whom felt that his altered demeanour was caused by the influence of an unknown substance. Colonel Palomo later told his wife he did not recall making a confession. 842. In a 2019 interview broadcast on VPItv, Christopher Figuera, the former SEBIN Director, said that Captain Blanco brought Major Palomo from DGCIM to SEBIN. Mr. Figuera said, “the commissioner who received him informed me he had arrived very mistreated […]. I ordered him to call the doctor to undertake a medical revision before Captain Blanco left, to keep it on record”. He noted that Major Palomo’s assistant (Alberto José Salazar Cabañas) “was very mistreated […]. When they caught him they beat him so hard [that the tissue around his…] prosthetic eye became infected due to the blows”. 1548 843. In a subsequent interview broadcast on 11 June 2020, General Figuera again mentioned the condition in which Colonel García Palomo had been brought to SEBIN. He said, “When [DGCIM]] brought García Palomo to SEBIN, he was brought tortured, in dilapidated conditions, I didn’t want to receive him, he was urinating blood. I told the doctor and the commissioner in charge not to receive him. He responded it is an order of “my commander”. You have to receive him. So I ordered a video recording […] to have proof, if the person died here, that that is how they sent him to me”.1549 844. On 3 February 2019, the CASLA Institute filed a petition for precautionary measures with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of Colonel Acevedo, Colonel Palomo, Lieutenant Salazar Cabañas, Mr. Iabichuela, and another individual detained with them.1550 Initial Court Appearance 845. On 5 February 2019, Colonel Acevedo, Colonel García Palomo and Mr. Iabichuela were presented before the First Court of Control on Terrorism-Related Crimes, under the Judge Carol Padilla. The detainees appeared late at night, outside normal working hours. They were only allowed 30 minutes to talk to their legal representative before the hearing. Colonel Acevedo’s wife and lawyer were not informed about the hearing, despite having waited in the court all day.1551 846. Lawyers representing the three men told the court that their clients had been presented with clear torture marks and noted the short 30-minute preparation time. One lawyer told the Mission, “Iabichuela was so hurt that his cut was infested and smelled bad. His knee was so 1545 1546 1547 1548 1549 1550 1551 YouTube Video, CASLA, DGCIM Tortura, 21 March 2019, minute 5:14, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqis30ri5P4&t=395s. https://twitter.com/TAMARA_SUJU/status/1135904843183329286?s=20, YouTube Video, Luigino Bracci Roa, Jorge Rodríguez, rueda de prensa sobre Oswaldo García Palomo, 7 February 2019, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emf7rsZ4yMw&t=2056s; YouTube Video, Luigino Bracci Roa, Detuvieron a García Palomo haciéndole creer que militares iban a alzarse en Caracas, 7 February 2019, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7dGFdxl54s. YouTube Video, VPITV, Habla Cristopher Figuera - Ex. Dir. del Sebin - Entrevista Ibéyise Pacheco, 10 July 2019, minute 44:00, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXTN-X8Z5cU. YouTube Video, Alejandro Marcano Santelli, El torturador de la DGCIM Marcano en vivo con Christopher Figuera 11 June 2020, minute 48:00, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_mcJSwC_ws. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Resolution 3/2019, Precautionary measures No. 11519, 19 February 2019, para. 1, available at: http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/pdf/2019/319MC115-19-VE.pdf. Mission Interview C3DD05 in June 2020, Mission Interview with NGO Foro Penal in June 2020. 173