Omar Antonio Mendoza Gil is a human rights lawyer and advocacy coordinator for the organisation Iniciativa por una Justicia Igualitaria. Through his work, he has coordinated legal support for victims of persecution and arbitrary detention in Venezuela and has denounced acts of corruption. He has also worked as a deputy investigator in cases related to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Venezuela.
Because of his professional practice, Omar Mendoza has been subjected to threats, harassment and attempts to criminalise him and his family. His situation has worsened since he took up the defence of the lawyer Jecson Ricardo Cariel[1], who has been arbitrarily detained since August 2022.
Out of concern for the lack of due process in legal proceedings against criminalised human rights defenders, Omar Mendoza decided to flee the country in order to protect his life and freedom. The lawyer claims to have been the victim of extraterritorial persecution outside Venezuela.
Recently, in the context of the 28 July 2024 elections in Venezuela, several commissions from the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) visited his home in Venezuela. Omar Mendoza denounces the cancellation of his passport, which has also affected other lawyers and human rights defenders in reprisal for their work.
The Observatory is extremely concerned by these acts of intimidation, which jeopardise the free and independent practice of law and effective access to justice for victims.
