By the Medianálisis team, Cotejo.info and OVFN
The team of Cotejo.info and the Venezuelan Observatory of Fake News They described it as a half truth the recent statement by José Brito, former deputy and presidential candidate, on the Law on Supervision, Regulation, Action and Financing of NGOs and Related Organizations.
According to the politician, said legal instrument – approved in second discussion by the National Assembly, in August of this 2024 – “Far from being punitive, coercive or violating the right to free association, it establishes mechanisms for the Venezuelan State to finance NGOs”.
However, after analyzing the public discourse, it was found that specialized organizations and human rights experts have questioned the real impact that the new regulations will have on non-governmental organizations. The information gathered unofficially by international bodies and human rights lawyers in Venezuela anticipates that the law could impose disproportionate requirements for the registration and operation of NGOs, as well as include sanctions that could significantly restrict their activities. This perspective contradicts the optimistic vision presented by Brito.
Warnings about the Law
The organization Access to Justicewhich monitors the Venezuelan judicial system, has had “unofficial” access to versions of some articles that will be part of this law. Its analysis has revealed that the requirements for NGOs would be “excessive” and could lead many of them to a state of “permanent non-compliance,” which would expose them to serious sanctions.
Also, in January 2024Amnesty International The United Nations called the law “abusive,” warning that it could violate organizations’ rights to association and privacy. Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed his concern, urging the Venezuelan government not to adopt regulations that undermine the country’s civic and democratic space.
Meanwhile, the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, has been one of the staunchest defenders of this law and has stressed on several occasions that it will be particularly rigorous with NGOs that, in his opinion, “conspire” against the government, which reinforces concerns that the legal text could be used to silence critical voices.
Uncertainty about the final impact
Although the law has been approved in the second reading by the National Assembly and is awaiting its promulgation by President Nicolás Maduro, the final content has not yet been disclosed. The absence of this official information prevents a thorough analysis of the real impact it will have on non-governmental organizations.
The Cotejo.info team and the OVFN therefore concluded that José Brito’s statement about the NGO Oversight and Financing Law is a half-truth. Although it is argued that the legal instrument will allow the State to finance NGOs, unofficial evidence suggests that the restrictions provided for in the law could seriously compromise the right to free association, as well as the work of civil society organizations.
To learn more details and understand the scope of this law, we invite our readers to explore the full article available at:
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2024-09-20 03:03:07