Between 2017 and 2022, Venezuela recorded 2,033 victims of alleged extrajudicial executions, leaving at least 1,520 children and adolescents orphaned, according to the Victims Monitor. This report documents how the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) has been a central actor in these events, with multiple incidents in which security forces—particularly the Special Actions Forces (FAES)—were responsible for numerous deaths. Jennifer Blanco, a 14‑year‑old teenager, is one of the many children affected by police lethality. Her father, Amilcar Blanco, was allegedly executed by the FAES after participating in protests against the government in 2019, leaving Jennifer and her four siblings orphaned. The Victims Monitor, in collaboration with the Consortium for Supporting Independent Journalism in the Region (CAPIR), carried out an investigation that brought to light the stories of 26 orphans in five Venezuelan states: Caracas, Lara, Táchira, Zulia, and Sucre. The data collected show that in Caracas alone, 1,328 children and adolescents were orphaned due to deaths from alleged extrajudicial executions or resistance to authority between 2017 and 2022. In Lara, these causes orphaned 143 minors between 2020 and 2022; in Táchira, 14 between 2021 and 2022; in Zulia, 27 in 2022 alone; and in Sucre, 17 in the same year. The investigation highlights serious psychological consequences, such as night terrors, as well as economic, educational, and emotional deprivations faced by these children. According to a report by the NGO Lupa por la Vida, in 2022 the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) was the security agency responsible for the most deaths in Venezuela, with 196 fatal victims—representing 24% of the total deaths attributed to state security forces. In total, police and military personnel murdered 824 people in alleged extrajudicial executions. Of these, only 501 victims were identified, while 323 remain unidentified. In addition to the PNB, another 36 deaths were caused by the Directorate Against Organized Crime (DCDO) and 2 by the now-defunct Special Actions Force (FAES). State police recorded 193 victims, the Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigations Corps (CICPC) 142, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) 126, and municipal police 45. Marino Alvarado, a lawyer and head of investigations at Lupa por la Vida, noted that although some special operations divisions of the PNB and the FAES were disbanded, this did not reduce police lethality, pointing to a "recycling" of FAES officers into other units such as the DCDO and the Criminal Investigation Directorate (DIP). The report also indicated that deaths of protesters at the hands of security forces were significantly reduced in 2022—the first year since 2013 in which no fatalities were recorded during protests. However, Alvarado underscored the persistence of impunity and the lack of investigations into murders committed by police and military personnel, criticizing the Venezuelan state's failure to comply with its commitments to the International Criminal Court. The states with the highest incidences of police violence were Carabobo, Zulia, Aragua, Yaracuy, and Portuguesa, with specific municipalities such as Sucre and Lander in Miranda, and Valencia in Carabobo being particularly affected. The Bolivarian National Police (PNB) of Venezuela has been the subject of numerous allegations of abuses and human rights violations, continuing practices previously attributed to the disbanded Special Actions Forces (FAES). The new units of the PNB, such as the Directorate of Strategic and Tactical Actions (DAET), the Criminal Investigation Directorate (DIP), and the Directorate Against Organized Crime (DCDO), have been cited for arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions. A notable case is that of
John Álvarez, a university student who reported being tortured by PNB agents after being detained on charges of conspiracy. According to witnesses and family members, the perpetrators were officers of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB). Eliécer was with neighbors and friends—many on motorcycles—performing stunts in the street when they were ambushed by a unit of the PNB’s Division Against Gangs, attached to El Junquito. When they attempted to flee to avoid detention, the officers opened fire, treating them as criminals. One witness recounted that several ran while others dropped to the ground, but one of the shots struck Eliécer in the head. Following the incident, the community attempted to halt the assault by confronting the officers and demanding justice. The teenager was taken to Miguel Pérez Carreño Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. On February 2, 2024, four members of the motorized brigade of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) in Trujillo State were arrested on homicide charges after allegedly staging an encounter that resulted in the death of two young people. The victims, Marlon Montilla, 22, and Yonaiker Ramírez, 21, were murdered on January 24 in Valera. The Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigations Corps (CICPC) revealed irregularities in the case, indicating that the police officers had staged an encounter. According to witnesses, the young men were intercepted by a PNB unit at the Bella Vista field and allegedly taken to the city command. They were later found dead inside a vehicle on a nearby public road. The official version from the implicated officers—that it was a genuine encounter—was refuted by CICPC investigations, and two additional officers remain at large. This case recalls an earlier incident in October 2023 in
Charallave, Miranda State, where two municipal police officers were arrested for staging an encounter after murdering Héctor Luis Huerta, 27, during his arrest for stealing a mobile phone. Venezuelan law, under Article 239 of the Penal Code, punishes the staging of criminal acts with prison sentences—aggravated in cases of homicide—with penalties of up to 25 years in prison. == Organization ==