IACHR grants precautionary measures to Ukrainian citizen Yevhenii Petrovich Trush, missing in Venezuela

April 9, 2025

Washington, DC—On April 5, 2025, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 32/2025 granting precautionary measures in favor of Yevhenii Petrovich Trush in Venezuela after determining that he faces a serious, urgent risk of irreparable harm to his rights.

According to the request, the beneficiary is a neurodivergent Ukrainian student. On October 20, 2024, Mr. Petrovich Trush was attempting to seek asylum at the immigration office on the Atanasio Giradot Binational Bridge (Las Tienditas) when he was arrested without explanation by Department of Military Counterintelligence agents. His whereabouts remain unknown.

Although efforts have been made to locate him, the State has refused to provide information regarding his arrest, acknowledge that he is being deprived of his freedom, or accept writs of habeas corpus or reports of forced disappearance. The requesting party noted that the beneficiary requires specialized medical attention. The State has not submitted any information concerning the case to the IACHR.

After analyzing the factual and legal allegations, the IACHR found that the beneficiary's situation is both grave and urgent, given the continuing uncertainty about his whereabouts. Accordingly, pursuant to Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR requested that the State of Venezuela:

1. Adopt the necessary measures to protect the beneficiary's rights to life, personal integrity, and health. Specifically, the State must:
   1. confirm whether he is in state custody. If so, it must provide information on the grounds for his arrest and the circumstances in which he is being held. If not, it must report on the steps being taken to determine his whereabouts or fate;
   2. indicate whether the beneficiary has been brought before a competent court to review his detention if he has been formally charged, or explain why this has not yet occurred;
   3. specify which court is handling his case or, if no charges have been filed, explain why he has not yet been released;
   4. enable the beneficiary to communicate with his family and legal representatives, granting them full access to his case file, if one exists;
   5. clarify whether he has had access to an interpreter or translator to understand his legal situation and exercise his rights;
   6. conduct an immediate medical evaluation to assess his condition and provide any treatment he might need;
   7. report whether reasonable adjustments have been made and specific support provided to ensure he can effectively exercise his rights, accommodations for his neurodivergence; and
   8. enable him to communicate with the Ukrainian authorities.
2. Report on the steps taken to investigate the circumstances that led to the adoption of these precautionary measures, with a view to preventing their recurrence.

The State's granting and implementation of these precautionary measures shall not be interpreted as a decision on the merits of any petitions that may be submitted to the inter-American system concerning alleged violations of rights protected under applicable human rights instruments.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 070/25

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