Tortured and Convicted in a Kangaroo Court for Capturing a Terrorist Leader: Humberto Quintero is “Caracas Nine” Dissident #5

CARACAS, Venezuela (January 16, 2009)-- The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) published a report today detailing the arrest and torture of Jose Humberto Quintero, a lieutenant colonel of the Venezuelan National Guard. Quintero was detained in January 2005, by the Venezuelan government for allegedly capturing terrorist leader Ricardo Gonzalez, popularly known as Rodrigo Granda, of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

“The case of Humberto Quintero exemplifies numerous violations of human rights, including violations of international law - specifically, provisions that prohibit arbitrary detention and the use of torture, inhumane, and other degrading treatment. Colonel Quintero’s imprisonment also appears to be politically-motivated, as his arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between the governments of Colombia and Venezuela over Granda’s capture,” said Sarah Wasserman of HRF.

As Commander of the Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Unit, Quintero led successful counter-terrorism operations. The Venezuelan government charged him with high treason, abuse of authority, violation of military decorum, and illegitimate deprivation of liberty for purportedly capturing Granda in December of 2004, and delivering him to the Colombian authorities in return for a cash payment.

Quintero was arrested, taken to a dungeon at the military intelligence division, and tortured by members of Venezuela’s military intelligence and civilian police for seven days. At the time, Granda, a senior leader of the FARC, served as foreign secretary of the terrorist group and lived in Venezuela under the protection of the Venezuelan government. Granda was on INTERPOL’s list of wanted guerilla members in Colombia. The Paraguayan government claims that in September 2004, while he was in Venezuela, Granda planned the kidnapping and eventual murder of Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former Paraguayan President Raúl Cubas. An arrest order for Granda from a Paraguayan court is still outstanding.

“During an interview with HRF inside Ramo Verde prison, Quintero told us that he was subjected to asphyxiation, beatings, and threats to kidnap his wife and daughter and hand them over to the FARC. He suffered internal bleeding and back pain, which continued for at least another year after the beatings. We were able to verify the damage to his thorax during a visit in November 2006,” added Wasserman. “The FARC is a terrorist group with demonstrable yet unaddressed and unacknowledged ties to the Venezuelan government since the early years of President Hugo Chávez’s administration. These suspicions were recently confirmed by computers recovered by Colombian security forces from a FARC encampment, which contained messages describing meetings in which Venezuelan officials offered assistance to the Colombian guerrillas, including safe havens and weapons procurement,” continued Wasserman.

According to Quintero, the reason for his torture was three-fold: to coerce him to accept his alleged responsibility for Granda’s capture; to force a confession that he had received a significant monetary reward for the capture; and to make him declare that members of the Colombian and US Special Forces had been part of the operation. His forced confession was videotaped and for seven days he was denied access to legal counsel. He was not allowed to see a doctor for several weeks after the beatings. He remains incarcerated at Ramo Verde while he undergoes a second trial for the same charges. 

To date, the Venezuelan government’s response to the concerns of the human rights community has been unsatisfactory; it has failed to launch an independent inquiry, despite numerous complaints filed by Quintero’s lawyers and by human rights groups.  

The Caracas Nine campaign promotes awareness of human rights abuses and seeks legal protection for individuals persecuted and endangered by the Venezuelan government. The nine cases featured in the campaign are emblematic of the widespread human rights abuses directed against those who openly criticize Venezuela’s government. Francisco Usón, whose case was the first taken up by HRF, was freed from prison on conditional release on December 24, 2007.

For further information on the numerous Venezuelans who are being persecuted for dissenting from the government, please visit www.CaracasNine.com. To demand freedom for Venezuela’s political prisoners, please visit www.TellChavez.com.

HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the Americas. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF does not support nor condone violence. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

Contact: Sarah Wasserman, Human Rights Foundation, (212) 246.8486, info@thehrf.org

Read the case summary on Humberto Quintero’s case here.

Read the full report on his case here.