Héctor Sánchez Losada
Héctor Sánchez Losada was a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal Bar Association in the state of Monagas (Comisión de DDHH de la Federacion de Colegios de Abogados en el estado Monagas). The human rights commission was created as part of a project led by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons – OVP (Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones) in 20 states of Venezuela, to strengthen and expand the work of the Observatory and to ensure respect for the human rights of detained persons in the states. The human rights defender was killed on 22 January 2016, in the city of Maturín, in the state of Monagas.
HRDs have been working under restrictive policies for many years: the Maduro administration has continued the work begun by Chávez in restricting civil space and delegitimising HRDs, repeatedly accusing them of undermining the Venezuelan democracy with the alleged collaboration of the United States. HRDs are discredited and criminalised by state-controlled media (television, radio, print media) on a weekly basis.
