8 43. In addition, the representatives of the victims and their next of kin submitted (between April 5 and 11, 2002) forty statements, all made in writing before a notary public (supra para. 23).8 These statements are summarized as follows: 1. Miguelina La Rosa, the mother of Miguel Ángel Aguilera La Rosa. Miguel Ángel Aguilera La Rosa died at the age of twenty-three. He worked as an independent merchant selling books. With the income, he supported his wife and his daughters. At the time of the event, he earned the minimum wage. He helped the witness by means of weekly contributions, and the financial situation of her family would be better if he lived, because he was the son who helped her most. The witness retired the same year her son died, and the pension she receives is insufficient. The victim’s father covered all the expenses of the vigil, but Miguel Ángel was buried in a borrowed plot. The witness had to recover the body from that place after seven months and buy one where his mortal remains could rest. She covered these costs from her social benefit payments. COFAVIC covered the expenses incurred searching for justice. Due to the events, she began to lose her memory and had to receive psychological treatment, the cost of which was covered by two of her daughters. She prays a lot for her son and this helps calm her nervousness. 2. Rafael Castellanos, a brother of Armando Antonio Castellanos Canelón. Armando Antonio Castellanos Canelón, who was twenty-nine, received a deadly bullet in the head. He was a blue-collar worker, a messenger and a bill-collector. He had a common-law spouse and two daughters, Daymiri Jugeni and Anabel Fabiana. He contributed to the income of his own family every week, being its only source of support and, since he turned eighteen, that of the mother of the victim himself. At the time of the event he earned minimum wage. The economic situation of the family would be better if the victim were alive, as his daughters have had to stop studying and now, like his common-law spouse, they have to work. Two brothers of the victim, Rafael and Enodio, covered the expenses of the vigil, while COFAVIC covered expenses in pursuit of justice. When the victim was wounded, he was with his brother Enodio, who was also wounded, and the next of kin therefore also had to pay for the medical treatment of the latter. 7 Cf. file with evidence on the Caracazo case under the title “Evidence submitted by the representatives of the victims after publication of the notice in Venezuela ordered by the Court (Briefs received on June 18, 2001),” at the Secretariat of the Court. 8 Cf. file with evidence on the Caracazo case under the title “Evidence submitted in writing regarding testimony and expert witness reports submitted by the representatives of the victims and their next of kin,” at the Secretariat of the Court.

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