José explains: “The law establishes an obligation on the authorities to offer protection to victims of torture and other ill-treatment but the Public Prosecutor never once offered me any type of support. My family and I received threats to our safety.” The reprisals could have dissuaded José entirely from seeking judicial proceedings, regardless of the tailored psychosocial and legal support he was receiving. Yet with help from the local rehabilitation centre, Red de Apoyo, with both rehabilitation and legal support, José’s case is still developing 14 years later. “The criminal procedures law in my country establishes that the judicial process should move quickly – the proceedings should progress to trial quickly and expeditiously,” José explains. “But in my case the opposite happened.” Even with support from Red de Apoyo, José became frustrated at the slow pace of the case – a major dissuasive factor when victims seek justice. “They provide me with great legal support and, in the beginning, they helped me with my physical recovery, psychological attention, and in many ways with emotional support,” he remarks. “This strength has not desisted my search for justice.” Support has helped José have faith in justice, even over a lengthy period of time – a faith that could have waivered and been a major dissuasive factor. Since the incident, José has fought impunity tirelessly: “I am pursuing this case so that this kind of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment does not happen again in my country,” he says. Today, José also works at the Universidad Experimental de la Seguridad which carries out dialogue sessions with police staff to teach them about the legislation criminalising torture and the damage that torture inflicts. “The day the trial is over is going to be a very important day for me, to see justice served,” José says, echoing one of the most common expectations of torture victims going to trial. “If it is not favourable, I will continue to take action, because there was, and there still is, a flagrant violation of human rights in Venezuela.” As José’s case illustrates, a broken and slow judicial system causes a lack of trust forcing many of them to remain silent. As a result, perpetrators often go unpunished and, consequently, torture is accepted and impunity prevails. Fear of reprisals and 23