Venezuela Opens Probe After 33 Detained in LGBT+ Venue Raid

VENEZUELA · HUMAN RIGHTS

Venezuela’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation after at least 33 men were detained in a police raid on an LGBT+ venue in Barquisimeto over the weekend. Rights organizations describe the operation as an illegal search marked by extortion and discrimination, while prosecutors say five officers have been detained pending a court hearing.

What rights groups say happened in the Venezuela LGBT+ raid

Three organizations, the Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence, Caleidoscopio Humano and the SOMOS Movement, said in a joint statement that officers of the Bolivarian National Police, dressed in civilian clothes, raided an entertainment venue in Barquisimeto on Saturday and detained at least 33 men.

According to the groups, the agents accused those present of “exercising the crime of homosexuality,” in the words the victims reported. The organizations said the operation involved an illegal search and acts of extortion, and that it exposed the men’s sexual orientation to family and friends, subjecting them to public humiliation.

An activist with the SOMOS Movement told the news agency EFE that this was one of a series of raids the group characterized as hate incidents, citing operations at several LGBT+ venues in cities including Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia and Mérida in recent years. The organizations demanded an immediate and thorough investigation to identify and punish those responsible.

How authorities responded to the Venezuela LGBT+ raid

The Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Sunday that it had opened an investigation into the events in Lara state. According to its statement, the Bolivarian National Police activated its internal-control mechanisms and placed five officers at the disposal of prosecutors, who were to be presented before a control court within hours.

The prosecutors’ announcement framed the detentions of the officers as a response to the allegations rather than an endorsement of the raid, leaving the substance of the case to be determined by the judicial process now under way.

The legal backdrop in Venezuela

Homosexuality is not a criminal offence under Venezuelan law. The country is among the more conservative in Latin America on the issue, with no legislation recognizing same-sex marriage and legal obstacles for transgender people seeking to change their registered identity.

Earlier in May, the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, asked the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court to establish a doctrine treating sexual diversity as a fundamental human right, a request that rights groups had noted ahead of the weekend’s events.

A documented precedent

The case echoes an episode in July 2023, when 33 men were detained at an LGBT+ venue in Carabobo state and charged with offences including public indecency. They were released days later after widespread protests, and the hashtag “Free the 33” circulated widely on social media at the time.

After that case, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed concern over what it called arbitrary actions by Venezuelan security agents and urged the country to refrain from criminalizing LGBT+ people. Rights groups warned then that the case could set a precedent for further detentions based on sexual orientation.

What happens next

The judicial process for the five detained officers will determine whether charges follow. Rights organizations have called for the broader practice of raids on LGBT+ venues to cease and for the state to guarantee the safety and rights of all people regardless of orientation.

The case adds to a continuing debate over the treatment of LGBT+ people in Venezuela, a debate that the acting president’s Supreme Court request had already brought to the fore weeks before the Barquisimeto raid.