George Clooney’s foundation files lawsuit against Venezuela over human rights violations
Julia Johnson
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The Clooney Foundation for Justice, founded by George and Amal Clooney, announced on Wednesday that it filed a complaint before the Argentine federal justice system accusing Venezuela of crimes against humanity.
The foundation said in the complaint that “Argentina must investigate the systematic and grave human rights violations committed in Venezuela, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction,” according to a press release.
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“The Venezuelan justice system is failing victims of mass atrocities in their fight for justice,” said Yasmine Chubin, legal advocacy director at the foundation’s the Docket. “This is why we are assisting survivors and their families in gathering evidence of the crimes committed against them and seeking alternative jurisdictions to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable.”
According to the foundation’s website, “The Docket wants to make sure individuals and corporations complicit in international crimes face justice.”
The foundation points to what it claims is “potential criminal liability” of the Venezuelan security forces. According to the foundation, the forces may be committing crimes against humanity aimed at those involved with the government’s political opposition or those perceived to be. The Docket team is representing the families of two victims who were subject to “indiscriminate violence and killings.”
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The foundation stated that these crimes began in 2014, and afterward, the Venezuelan government failed to investigate alleged international crimes effectively. According to the release, these crimes include murder, torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention, all at the hands of Venezuelan officials.
“Argentina can become a beacon of hope for the many Venezuelan families and victims that have now been awaiting justice for years,” said Ignacio Jovtis, senior program manager leading the foundation’s investigations on Venezuela. “We hope that the Argentine justice system will continue to correctly apply universal jurisdiction and open an avenue for Venezuelan victims and their families in the same way it has in the other universal jurisdiction cases before it.”