CDH-UNIMET
Our history
The Metropolitan University (Unimet) founded its Law School in 2002 and its Liberal Arts School in 2004. Together, they form the Faculty of Legal and Political Studies. From the moment of its conception, the schools incorporated human rights as an indispensable subject and integral part of all courses.
During the 2007-2008 academic year, with this cross-sectoral approach in mind, Professor Angelina Jaffé Carbonell founded the Human Rights Unit, the precursor of the Metropolitan University’s Human Rights Center (CDH-Unimet). Its mission was based on disseminating, informing and training on human rights issues, in order to promote its effective and real validity across all the areas of influence of Metropolitan University. Moreover, carrying out training and dissemination activities and promoting research initiatives and documentation on human rights were its main focus.
In 2014, during the protests across the nation, the Unit —alongside the student organization Apoyo Unimet— provided free legal assistance to members of the Unimet community and documented, reported and disseminated information regarding the severe human rights violations occurring at hands of State security forces, focusing on arbitrary detentions amid the peaceful demonstrations.
On January 10, 2017, the Unit became the Human Rights Center and continued monitoring human rights violations that occurred in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, with particular emphasis, initially, on the cases involving members of the university and those regarding arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions in the context of peaceful protests, and more recently, violations of academic freedom and university autonomy; providing legal assistance to students arbitrarily arrested (between April and July of that year) and offering counseling to other victims of serious human rights violations.
During 2018, the Center established two areas of specialization: International Criminal Law, which included the analysis of transitional justice mechanisms (led by Professor Andrea Santacruz), and an area focused on Human Rights, including, since 2019, the Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis (led by Professor Victoria Capriles).
On its fourth anniversary, in response to the growth of its scope and impact, the Center celebrated on January 10, 2021, the creation of three Units affiliated to the Executive and Deputy Directorate:
- The Victim Assistance Unit, in charge of guiding and assisting the victims of Human Rights violations in their process of seeking and obtaining justice.
- The Advocacy Unit, in charge of fostering the CDH-UNIMET’s participation in activities to promote its national impact and influence in the universal and regional human rights protection systems.
- The Academic Research Unit, in charge of studying, from an academic perspective, matters related to human rights that are of special relevance in the Venezuelan context, and aiming to produce high-quality research to be disseminated in academic and public media.
The history of our Human Rights Center is a faithful reflection of the institutional commitment to strengthening peace, justice and the rule of law. Said commitment is aligned with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its Objective 16 «Peace, Justice and Solid Institutions». The CDH-Unimet continues its history today in its tireless work to understand and defend the rights to life, freedom, personal security, access to justice, due process and access to information.
About Us
Founder: Angelina Jaffé Carbonell.
Advisory Board: Angelina Jaffé Carbonell, Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo and Tamara Bechar Alter.
Executive Director: Andrea Santacruz. Attorney, Summa Cum Laude (Unimet). Master’s Degree in Business Tax Management graduated with honors (Unimet). Specialization in Crime and Criminology Sciences at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV). Ms. Santacruz is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Law at the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB). Professor and Head of the Department of Legal Studies at the Metropolitan University (Unimet).
Deputy Director: Victoria Capriles. Attorney (Unimet). Master’s Degree in Sociology of Law, Cum Laude (Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law). Master’s Degree in Politics & Government, Cum Laude (Unimet). Ms. Capriles is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Political Science at the Simón Bolívar University (USB). Professor at the Department of International Studies at the Metropolitan University (Unimet).
Victim Assistance Unit
Coordinator: Vanessa Castillo. BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet). Miss Castillo is currently studying the Triple Master in International Law, Human Rights and International Cooperation at the Stellae Campus European Institute.
Junior Attorney: Mariangelina Socorro. Political Scientist (Rafael Urdaneta University). Attorney (Unimet).
Coordination Assistant: Fabiola Pérez. BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet).
Legal Assistant: Andreina Bermúdez. Liberal Arts and Law student (Unimet).
Legal Assistant: Rodrigo Colmenares. Law student (Unimet).
Intern: Velia Bracho. Liberal Arts and Law student (Unimet).
Advocacy Unit
Coordinator: Alberto Seijas. Attorney and BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet). Mr. Seijas is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminal Law at the University of Granada.
International Advocacy Assistant: Fabiana De Freitas. BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet). Ms. De Freitas is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Actions at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.
National Advocacy Assistant: Gabriela Zambrano. BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet).
Content Producer: Sara Fadi. BA in Liberal Arts (Unimet).
Academic Research Unit
Coordinator: Ofelia Riquezes. Attorney, Cum Laude (Unimet). Master’s Degree in Human Rights, Rule of Law and Democracy in Ibero-America (University of Alcalá). PhD in Political Science, Simón Bolívar University (USB). Coordinator of the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy at the Florida International University (FIU).
Translation Team
Mernoely Marfisi. Modern Languages student (Unimet).
Emblematic cases
Visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The CDH-Unimet coordinated the logistical aspects of the visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Michelle Bachelet, to the facilities of the Metropolitan University, on June 20, 2019. This meeting was aimed at victims and Human Rights advocacy organizations throughout the national territory, promoting a space for the exchange of fundamental information to expose the reality of Venezuela in the field of human rights. Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera’s parents personally presented their son’s case to the High Commissioner.
Community Ambassadors Foundation
The Community Ambassadors Foundation (FEC, for its initials in Spanish) is a non-profit NGO that implements youth empowerment programs in contexts of exclusion. In early 2018, the organization’s work was criminalized and its Directive Board was subject to political persecution.
On January 31, 2018, forces of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detained the Director-General of the FEC, Gregory Hinds, who was arbitrarily arrested for four months in El Helicoide without a judicial order. In April of the same year, the Court issued a release order, an order that SEBIN subsequently refused to receive and implement. The CDH-Unimet defends Mr. Hinds, who was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. He is currently free and complying with a probation measure of periodical appearances before the Court. His case was analyzed in detail in the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which was published on September 16, 2020.
Murder of Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera
In March of 2017, a national wave of mass protests took place in response to rulings 155 and 156 issued by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, causing a rupture of the constitutional order. The social unrest lasted five months. During this period, CDH-Unimet registered the arbitrary detention of nine students of the Metropolitan University who suffered torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments. Only four of the students detained were presented before the Courts with one being represented by the CDH-Unimet.
During these protests, on April 26, Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera was murdered in the Chacao municipality. He was an Accounting student and high-performance athlete who played for the Unimet’s basketball team. A yet-to-be-identified officer of the National Guard hit him in the chest with a tear gas canister at close range. Since then, the CDH-UNIMET has been assisting his parents in their search for justice, in national and international instances. His case was analyzed in detail in the Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which was published on September 16, 2020.
2014 Protests
On February 12, 2014, a series of nationwide protests began, lasting over three months. Amid this complex context, the CDH-UNIMET, along with the Andrés Bello Catholic University’s Human Rights Center (CDH-UCAB), and with the support of the student organizations Apoyo Unimet and Asistencia UCAB, provided legal assistance in 900 cases. The CDH-UNIMET also monitored 130 cases and defended 160 people — 11 of which were members of the Unimet — during their presentations before the national Courts.
Services offered
- Free legal assistance and representation to members of the Unimet community and their families in cases of human rights violations, specifically in situations of arbitrary detention, torture, unlawful searches and extrajudicial executions, in the context of peaceful demonstrations called by the student movement.
- Support for victims of human rights violations who are members of the Unimet community.
- Advice and tutoring for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in human rights and specialized areas of the Center.
- Organization of seminars, workshops, courses, forums and other events of interest for the university and the country in human rights, international criminal law and refugee law.
Publications and Pronouncements
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Repression, Justice and Law in Today’s Venezuela (2013-2019)
Other Publications (Non-peer Reviewed)
- Considerations on States of Exception: Special Emphasis on Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland (2020)
- The Development of International Criminal Law as an Independent Discipline (2020)
- The Applicability of the Rome Statute in the Venezuelan Legal System (2020)
- A Step in the Long Road to Justice (2020)
- Thoughts about Criminalization in the Context of Pandemics, Special Emphasis on the Venezuelan Situation
Annual Reports
- Report on the Context and Patterns of Human Rights Violations in Venezuela (2020)
- Report on the Context and Patterns of Human Rights Violations in Venezuela (2018-2019)
General Reports
International Impact
- Participation in the Hearing «Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders in the Context of the Pandemic» (179th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights)
- Participation in the Hearing “Venezuela, Political Crisis, National Assembly and Justice» (172th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights)
Joint Publications with other Civil Society Organizations
- Civil Society Organizations Declare their Resounding Rejection and Demand the Repeal of the new Registration Measure for Terrorism and other Crimes in Venezuela (2021)
- Democratic Transition in Venezuela: Considerations and Proposals from Civil Society (2020)
- Manual on the Operation and Scope of the Mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (2020)
- Comparative Study between Retributive Justice and Restorative Justice, as a Basis for the Design of Reparations of a Transitional Justice System in Venezuela (2019)
- Handbook on the Right to International Protection in Major Crisis (2019)
- Thought under Threat: Situation of Academic Freedom and University Autonomy in Venezuela (2017)
Pronouncements
- About the Report of the Fact-Finding Mission (2020)
- Statement from the Human Rights Center of the Metropolitan University on the Impossibility of the Arrival and Admission to Venezuela of the IACHR Comission on February 4, 2020
- Statement by the Human Rights Center of the Metropolitan University on the Events thet Took Place in Caracas on January 5, 2020
- The Civil Society Rejects the Criminalization of Critical Thinking and Persecution of the Venezuelan Association of University Rectors (AVERU)
- Pronouncement on the Murder of the Student Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera
Contact Information
Metropolitan University’s Human Rights Center
Classroom Building 1, ground floor.
Metropolitan University, Caracas, Venezuela.
Office Hours
Monday to Friday
9:00 am to 12:00 m
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Contact Emails
Main Email
Victim Assistance Unit
Advocacy Unit
Academic Research Unit
cdh.investigacion@unimet.edu.ve
Social Networks
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