GIULIANA CHIAPPE
EL UNIVERSAL

Guanayén is down south Aragua state. It was a tiny, inconspicuous village that just until now used to swallow the abuses against residents.

On Thursday, February 17, the few people who live in Guanayén, who are well acquainted one another, were surprised by the arrival of a commission from Maracay, the capital city of central Aragua state. The commission included the head of the Inspectorate of Aragua state police María del Valle Roversi; prosecutor 20 of Fundamental Rights Rosa Biblia Giovanni, and Sara Mier y Terán, a representative of the civil association Vida, Paz y Libertad (Life, Peace and Freedom), that provides advice to victims' relatives.

The reason for the unusual visit spread strong rumors among astounded residents of Guanayén. They were looking for the Inspectorate police -the only local authority- to administer testimony on the murder of Rigoberto, the fourth member of the Barrios who was dead as a result of the police action. And during the term of the investigation, the police chief and some police officers involved in the case will have to serve in another command, far from the town. Also, they examined witnesses and relatives of the teenager killed just one month ago.

Rigoberto and his three uncles -Benito, Narciso and Luis Alberto- are just four out of 1,150 people shot dead by the Aragua police in alleged confrontations, because of abuse of authority or excessive use of force since 1998. According to the last report, the local Attorney's Office of Fundamental Rights has heard 600 related complaints. A total of 90 percent has indicted Aragua state police. The Barrios are included in such grim figures.
 
The visit of the commission to Guanayén is the result of something more than mere enquiries. It is an admonishment of the Legislature Human Rights Commission presided over by deputy Ramón Rengifo. Rigoberto Barrios was killed despite an interim order issued by a court that was not observed, and notwithstanding a complaint that had been filed at the Aragua Chief Police Office. The worst thing is that a related file dated March 7, 2004 is missing.

IACHR is watching

The case crossed the Venezuelan border and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is taking care of it.

Luis Aguilera, a representative of the Justice and Peace Commission, charged Aragua senior prosecutor Olga Adames with "negligence" for failing to enforce the interim order concerning Rigoberto Barrios. It has been known that the Inter-American Court may subpoena some of the people involved in the case during the first quarter at the Commission headquarters in Costa Rica.

Fourteen people dead in January
The police killed 14 people in Aragua during January and injured two additional people. Also, 9 died violently, and 6 bodies of people murdered in different ways were found.
gchiappe@eluniversal.com

Translated by Conchita Delgado