In the 2000-2001 period, 392 people were executed in...

In the 2000-2001 period, 392 people were executed in Venezuela by police or state security agents, the National Ombudsman's Office said in a report.
The report notes the killings may be the work of armed vigilante groups composed of police officers seeking to curb crime through illegal means.
The impunity for such groups is due to the generalized acceptance of hard-line measures to suppress crime; a lack of respect for, and understanding of, civil rights; and a lack of opposition to such extrajudicial executions, which are not only illegal but violate the constitution's prohibition on capital punishment.
Ombudsman German Mundarain said the report compiles cases handled by the 26 branches of his office throughout the country.
Venezuela's crime rate increased during the 2000-2001 period, with 33 homicides recorded for every 100,000 citizens in 2000, according to the report.
During that time, the Ombudsman's Office handled 51,201 complaints of alleged rights violations.