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Juan Pablo Pernalete

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Juan Pablo Pernalete
Born(1996-12-28)28 December 1996
Died26 April 2017(2017-04-26) (aged 20)
Altamira, Caracas, Venezuela
Cause of deathHomicide by tear gas canister impact
Parents
  • José Pernalete (father)
  • Elvira Llovera (mother)

Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera (28 December 1996[1] – 26 April 2017) was a student and basketball player killed during the 2017 Venezuelan protests. On 24 May the Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, declared that an investigation by the Public Ministry concluded that Pernalete died as the result of the impact in his chest of a tear gas canister fired by a National Guardsman.[2] While government officials and pro-government outlets initially alleged that Pernalete had been killed with a captive bolt pistol by fellow protesters, in 2021 Tarek William Saab, Luisa Ortega's successor, acknowledged that Pernelte was killed by a tear gas canister fired by the National Guard.

Killing

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Mass in honor of Pernalete on 27 April 2017
Silent march in honor of Pernalete on 27 April
Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera Avenue, previously Ávila Avenue, in Altamira, Caracas

Juan Pablo Pernalete studied accounting at the Metropolitan University of Caracas, where he received a scholarship to play basketball.[3] At the age of 20 he was wounded, during a protest in Altamira, in the Chacao municipality in Caracas on 26 April 2017. The mayor of Chacao, Ramón Muchacho, reported that he arrived at Salud Chacao without vital signs.[4]

The following day, students marched for two hours from the Universidad Metropolitana to the place in Altamira Square where Juan Pablo Pernalete was killed, after holding a mass in the university in his honor.[5]

On 13 July, a night march was summoned in honor of those killed during the protests, including Pernalete, marching to the places where the demonstrators died. Dissident CICPC inspector Óscar Pérez made a surprise appearance in the march, before leaving and disappearing.[6]

Investigation

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On 24 May the Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, declared that an investigation by the Public Ministry concluded that Pernalete died as the result of the impact in his chest of a tear gas canister fired by a National Guardsman.[2]

A year after Pernalete's death, the crime remained unpunished.[7][8] The killing of Juan Pablo Pernalete was documented in a report by a panel of independent experts from the Organization of American States, considering that it could constitute a crime against humanity committed in Venezuela along with other killings during the protests.[9]

While government officials and pro-government outlets initially alleged that Pernalete had been killed with a captive bolt pistol by fellow protesters, in 2021 Tarek William Saab, Luisa Ortega's successor, acknowledged that Pernelte was killed by tear gas canister fired by the National Guard (GNB). Twelve GNB officials were charged with pre-intentional homicide.[10]

Legacy

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On 11 June 2017 Juan Pablo's father, José Pernalete, declared in a public ceremony that one of his son's dreams was to be a player for the American National Basketball Association (NBA), and that said league sent them a recognition in which they sent their solidarity for his death. He said that with this action his son reached the NBA: "Our son came to the NBA, it was not the way we wanted him to arrive, but he arrived and now we have a fourth NBA called Juan Pablo Pernalete", in reference to the three Venezuelans that have played in the league: Carl Herrera, Óscar Torres and Greivis Vásquez.[11]

On 11 June, the Avila avenue where Pernalete died, in the El Dorado sector in Altamira, was renamed with his full in a ceremony where the mayor of Chacao, authorities from the Metropolitan University and Pernalete's friends participated.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ""Pernalete estuviese cumpliendo 22 años, pero este régimen me lo asesinó"". El Nacional. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Oficialistas marchan este #26May para exigir destitución de Luisa Ortega Díaz". Notitotal. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. ^ Sarahí, Venus (26 October 2017). "La impunidad continúa a seis meses de la muerte de Juan Pablo Pernalete". El Nacional. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  4. ^ Moreno Losada, Vanessa (26 April 2017). "Falleció estudiante en Caracas por impacto de bomba lacrimógena" (in Spanish). Efecto Cocuyo. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Homenajearon a Juan Pablo Pernalete en el lugar donde fue asesinado" (in Spanish). El Nacional. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  6. ^ EFE (14 July 2017). "Una marcha nocturna recorre los lugares de Caracas donde murieron manifestantes". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  7. ^ Gómez Esaá, Venus Sarahí (26 October 2017). "La impunidad continúa a seis meses de la muerte de Juan Pablo Pernalete". El Nacional. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  8. ^ "La Fiscalía dirigida por Saab mantiene en la impunidad el asesinato de Juan Pablo Pernalete". 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  9. ^ Organización de Estados Americanos, ed. (2018). INFORME DE LA SECRETARÍA GENERAL DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS Y DEL PANEL DE EXPERTOS INTERNACIONALES INDEPENDIENTES SOBRE LA POSIBLE COMISIÓN DE CRÍMENES DE LESA HUMANIDAD EN VENEZUELA (PDF). Washington D.C. Retrieved 24 June 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "Homenajearon a Juan Pablo Pernalete en el lugar donde fue asesinado" (in Spanish). El Nacional. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  11. ^ "NBA otorga reconocimiento de solidaridad a padres de Juan Pablo Pernalette (+Video)". 2001. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Bautizaron avenida de Altamira con el nombre de Juan Pernalete". El Nacional. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
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