UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says that there are 191 arbitrarily detained in Venezuela

Türk expressed that (the detainees) “must be released immediately” / Photo: Courtesy

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said this Thursday at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York that, according to his latest updated and verified figures, there are 191 people arbitrarily in Venezuela. detained.

Türk had just delivered his annual report to the Third Committee of the General Assembly and then offered journalists a brief overview of the places in the world with the highest number of human rights violations.

Although he did not include Venezuela in that presentation, he was later asked about the Caribbean country, and he said that his office’s main reason for concern regarding Venezuela is arbitrary detention, and in this regard he put the number of Venezuelans arbitrarily detained at 191. today’s date.

Türk expressed that (the detainees) “must be released immediately, and we must work to create an acceptable civic space” in which freedoms of association, expression and assembly are respected.

He stated that although the Venezuelan authorities closed his office giving a period of 72 hours, “something unprecedented”, they have continued in contact with local human rights defenders, civil society activists and also the authorities, which is why he implied that They have reliable information.

The High Commissioner’s figure seems conservative when compared to those managed by local NGOs: for example, Foro Penal, which monitors arbitrary detentions in the country, which brings the number of incarcerated people considered political prisoners to 1,916.

Caracas / EFE