- The agency determined that the recent repression in Venezuela by the Venezuelan government deepened the human rights crisis
The United Nations (UN) Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela warned in a new report that the Venezuelan government has dramatically stepped up its efforts to “crush all peaceful opposition to its rule,” plunging the country “into one of the most acute human rights crises in recent history.”
The documented violations and crimes, including the crime against humanity of politically motivated persecution, are not isolated or random acts, but part of an ongoing and coordinated plan to silence, discourage and crush opposition to the government of President Nicolás Maduro,” the document, published on September 17, states.
In a previous report, published in December 2023, the mission concluded that the “state’s repressive apparatus” had not been dismantled and continued to represent a “latent force” that “could be activated when the government deemed it necessary.”
Following the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, the “system of harassment and violent repression” against opponents was reactivated in an “intense and accelerated” manner. In this new report, the organization highlighted that the post-election protests left 25 dead and hundreds injured and detained.
Below are the highlights of the new report from the independent international mission:
1. A new milestone in the deterioration of the rule of law in Venezuela
Marta Valiñas, president of the Fact-Finding Mission, said during a press conference that the Venezuelan government’s actions are a continuation of previous patterns, which the mission has already characterized as crimes against humanity.
The recent repression, due to its intensity and systematic nature, represents a very serious attack on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people, committed despite several calls both inside and outside the country to respect human rights,” he explained regarding the acts recorded after the presidential elections of July 28.
The report, which analyses the human rights situation in the country between September 2023 and August 2024, highlights that a new milestone has been reached in the deterioration of the rule of law following the presidential elections.
According to the organization, the public authorities “have abandoned all appearance of independence” and, in practice, many judicial guarantees have lost their effectiveness, “leaving citizens defenseless against the arbitrary exercise of power.”
2. Arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances
The mission said arrests increased significantly during the election campaign and especially in the days following the July 28, 2024 elections.
Among the documented cases are 48 arrests between December 2023 and March 2024 on charges of conspiracy, as well as arrest warrants against other people, who are not only activists, journalists and political opponents, but also military personnel.
During July 2024, in the midst of the electoral campaign, there were 120 arrests. According to data from the Venezuelan authorities cited in the report, more than 2,000 people were arrested after the presidential elections on charges of terrorism and inciting hatred.
According to the mission, among the latter were at least a hundred minors, some with disabilities. In addition, they mentioned that the criminal proceedings initiated against the hundreds of detainees have systematically failed to comply with the minimum guarantees of due process.
In most of the cases investigated, the arrests involved or were followed by serious systematic violations of due process. In this regard, the mission indicated that it has reasonable grounds to believe that, of the victims of the 49 cases of arbitrary detention investigated during the period, 13 were also victims of short-term enforced disappearances, 13 were victims of torture and 8 were victims of sexual or gender-based violence.
Their investigation also revealed that between September 2023 and May 2024, at least 60 people (49 men and 11 women) were sentenced in connection with Operations Constitution, Gedeón and Libertad. Those arrested were sentenced to between 16 and 30 years in prison.
3. Cruel treatment and poor conditions in prisons
The mission reported that it continued to receive reports of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detained opponents while in the custody of security forces in prisons and other detention centres.
“All of these cases occurred before 28 July 2024. The mission also received reports of other cases that may not be investigated in detail for fear of reprisals against the victims or their families,” it said.
“The torture methods used in the cases investigated by the mission include punches, beatings with wooden boards or bats wrapped in foam and electric shocks, including to the genitals. Other mechanisms recorded include suffocation with plastic bags, immersion in cold water, water deprivation and sleep through lighting and/or loud music 24 hours a day,” the mission details in the report.
The agency noted in the document that the methods are consistent with the torture procedures used by the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) and intelligence services as documented in previous mission reports.
According to the report, the mission also continued to receive complaints about poor conditions of detention in prisons. Some of the cases investigated show that prisoners are housed in cells measuring 4 square metres in unsanitary conditions, with strict restrictions on exit and with shortages of food and water.
4. Institutions and other actors involved
The mission highlighted that the human rights violations described in the report involved a “wide range of institutional actors.” They point out that statements by State authorities, particularly after July 28, 2024, encouraged and guided the repression that contributed to a climate of hostility and violence in the country.
They recalled that during the electoral campaign, Nicolás Maduro called on people to vote for him to avoid “a bloodbath” and a “civil war,” and warned that there would be “an iron fist and justice for the fascists and the violent.”
State security forces were involved in the commission of violations and crimes (…) The Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, continued to operate as part of the government’s repressive apparatus to give an appearance of legality to the serious human rights violations committed during the period covered by the report,” he said.
The body stressed that the actions of other branches of government and institutions also “reflected their alignment with the Executive,” to the detriment of the exercise of their constitutional mandates in an independent and balanced manner.
The mission noted that it is particularly concerned about the lack of action and response from organizations such as the Ombudsman’s Office. “The mission found several cases in which relatives or lawyers of people who had been detained filed complaints but these complaints were never answered,” it said.
The mission urged to open investigations
Among the recommendations set out in the report, the Mission stressed that it is necessary for the Venezuelan authorities to investigate the “abusive” use of force by State security agencies, as well as the participation of armed civilians acting with connivance.
The report also recommended ending the practice of arbitrary detentions described in the report and urged the release of all arbitrarily detained persons.
The mission also recommends that the State cooperate with international human rights protection bodies.
“The mission reiterates the importance of supporting genuine accountability through national efforts, including those based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, as well as the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC),” it stressed.
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2024-09-17 22:27:34
