A/HRC/45/CRP.11
956. Officers separated the family members, tying Ms. Granadillo and her father up
underneath stairwells in small confined spaces where they could neither lie down nor stand
up. Throughout the night, officers took each family member separately to a home office space
where they interrogated them about Colonel García Paloma and weapons stockpiles. Each
family member was threatened that if they did not share the required information, their other
family members would be hurt or killed. Officers also threatened to rape female family
members. Ms. Granadillo and her father both told the Mission they could hear each other
being beaten at different times.1686
957. Mr. Granadillo had recently had surgery, and was still noticeably healing from the
incision on his lower abdomen. He was tied to the chair and beaten with sticks, on his back,
legs, knees, and on the soles of his feet. The officers asphyxiated him with a plastic bag and
poured water over his hood. They threatened to cut off his genitals and to kill him. For Mr.
Granadillo, the most intense psychological torture occurred when officers threatened to rape
his wife and his daughter, and to do so in front of him.1687
958. Ms. Granadillo was interrogated by five officers, including a woman. They
surrounded her, beating her face and stomach, threatening to kill her parents. The following
night, a female officer called “La Negra” asphyxiated Ms. Granadillo with a plastic bag,
while male officers held her arms and legs down. When they removed the bag, Ms. Granadillo
was dizzy and could hardly breathe. She told the officers she could not take any more, but
the woman asphyxiated her again. She pulled her hair violently. 1688
959. El Capitán told Ms. Granadillo that he saw her going to the bakery and mentioned
specific times he saw her with friends, confirming the surveillance Mr. Granadillo noticed in
the days leading up to the detention. They had Ms. Granadillo’s telephone and tried to
exchange messages with Ms. Padilla. Ms. Padilla confirmed to the Mission she had received
the messages.1689
960. One of the first nights, officers appeared drunk and possibly under the influence of
narcotics. Ms. Granadillo saw “La Negra” had very large pupils. She became aggressive with
Ms. Granadillo, grabbing her by the neck. The other officers, who also appeared drunk,
calmed La Negra down until she released Ms. Granadillo.1690
961. On the third day, officers united the three family members in a living room. Over the
next few days, they were routinely separated and taken to El Capitán’s office for
interrogation. They opened Ms. Granadillo’s social networks and asked who her friends were.
One day they would torture her, and the next day try to convince her they were friends. 1691
962. Early on, the officers asked Ms. Granadillo about Ms. Padilla’s brother (Colonel
García Palomo’s brother-in-law). They searched for his address in the National Elections
Council database while she was present. She believed they would kidnap him as well. One
night, Ms. Granadillo and Mr. Granadillo each separately recognized the voice of Ms.
Padilla’s brother in the house. Mr. Granadillo heard him being walked up the stairs, as each
time he tripped or bumped into something he spoke. Mr. Granadillo and Ms. Granadillo both
heard him being beaten. He later fled Venezuela, but his sister and Mr. Granadillo both told
the Mission that he did not file a complaint out of fear.1692
963. During the daytime, around six officers would remain in the house while others came
and went. Some of them lived upstairs, washing their clothes onsite. According to Ms.
Granadillo and her father, the house had three floors. Some officers would rush to gather
1686
1687
1688
1689
1690
1691
1692
Ibid.
Mission Interview with Argenis Granadillo on 9 June 2020.
Mission Interview with Argenis Granadillo on 9 June 2020.
Mission Interview with Sorbay Padilla on 22 June 2020; Mission Interview with Ariana Granadillo on
18 May 2020.
Mission Interview with Ariana Granadillo on 18 May 2020.
Mission Interview with Ariana Granadillo on 18 May 2020; Mission Interview with Argenis
Granadillo on 9 June 2020.
Ibid.
189
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