Argentine deputies denounce human rights violations in Venezuela

On Wednesday, the Foreign Relations and Worship Committee of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies approved a declaration denouncing human rights violations in Venezuela and advocating the holding of free and democratic presidential elections on July 28.

The declaration grouped together three projects that were presented in recent months by various deputies concerned regarding the situation in Venezuela, according to a report by Monitoreamos.

In the document, the deputies expressed their concern regarding the “serious irregularities in the electoral process of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela carried out by the administration of Nicolás Maduro in view of the upcoming elections.”

They also expressed concern regarding the “impediments to the registration of presidential candidates with the National Electoral Council, which represents a serious breach of the Barbados Agreements.”

They also expressed their “concern over the actions of the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its embassy in our country, imposing exorbitant fees for obtaining documentation that allows Venezuelan citizens to exercise their right to vote, altering the electoral calendar and preventing residents from registering, thus distorting the electoral law in force in the country, in view of the elections on July 28 of this year.”

In light of this, the statement demands that Maduro “unrestrictively respect the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations” and expresses its “concern over the interruption of the electricity supply at the official residence of Argentina in Caracas.”

They also reiterated “the need for a free, fair and competitive presidential electoral process in Venezuela, where citizen participation is promoted through voting as a mechanism of democratic expression.”

Activist Elisa Trotta, secretary general of the Argentine Forum for the Defense of Democracy (FADD), thanked the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee for approving this important declaration, which will be passed on to the Human Rights and Guarantees Committee, so that its members can also join this resolution.