The general secretary of the CSI (International Trade Union Confederation), Luc Triangle, sent a letter to the Venezuelan dictator, stating (Confederation of Venezuelan Workers), José Elias Torres, had been arrested on Saturday (29).
In Brazil, CUT and UGT are affiliated to the international entity.
In the letter sent to Maduro, Triangle expressed “deep concern and strong condemnation” of the news of Torres’ arrest. According to information, he was arrested on Saturday at his home in Caracas by agents of the Bolivarian National Police.
“To date, there is no official information regarding the reasons for his detention or the conditions in which he is found,” he continues. “This situation constitutes a serious violation of the principles of freedom of association and generates deep alarm within the international trade union movement.”
The general secretary of the CSI recalls that the exercise of trade union activity is protected by the ILO (International Labor Organization) and by the Venezuelan Constitution itself.
Triangle also states that, within the scope of discussions within the ILO, the international community has reiterated the demand that Venezuela comply with recommendations related to the organization’s convention 87. “Among these recommendations is, centrally, the end of persecution, harassment and criminalization of union leaders, and the full guarantee of a safe environment for the exercise of union freedom”, he writes.
For the secretary general of the CSI, the arrest of Torres, “without clear, transparent or legally supported information, represents a new sign of non-compliance with the international obligations assumed by his government and a worrying setback in terms of fundamental rights”.
In the letter, Triangle requests information about Torres’ situation, that he be released and that urgent measures be adopted to ensure full respect for freedom of association.
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