HRW disagrees with Lula, Petro and López Obrador: neither new elections nor general amnesty

Bogotá, Aug 27 (EFE).- Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday addressed the presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to point out that repeating the presidential elections in Venezuela would be a “mockery” and granting a general amnesty “would violate international law and affect the rights of victims of atrocities.”

In her letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Juanita Goebertus Estrada, director of HRW’s Americas Division, said the human rights organization is “concerned” about three specific proposals they have made to resolve the Venezuelan crisis.

Stressing that a “credible” negotiation between all parties involved is the best way to protect human rights in Venezuela, HRW disagrees with the proposals of Lula, Petro and López Obrador to repeat the elections, trust the Venezuelan Supreme Court and grant a general amnesty.

HRW also mentions in the letter “the government repression” that followed the announcement of the election results by the CNE and says it has received “credible reports” of 23 protesters and bystanders, as well as a member of the Bolivarian National Guard, killed in the context of the protests, as well as a “wave of arbitrary arrests” that have affected some two thousand people, including minors and the disabled.

In this “alarming context” HRW welcomes “the efforts of governments in Latin America, Europe and the United States to ensure respect for the popular will expressed at the polls on July 28, as well as to put an end to widespread human rights violations in the country.”

However, he disagrees with the Brazilian government’s proposal, supported by Colombia, to hold new elections to end the crisis.

“A basic premise of any election is that it must reflect the expressed will of the people and result in the peaceful transfer of power to the winning candidate or candidates according to pre-established formulas. To repeat the election because the Maduro government is unwilling to disclose and accept the result of the July 28 vote would make a mockery of this basic democratic principle,” HRW says.

However, the letter adds, “we agree with your governments that a solution to the crisis in Venezuela should include guarantees for all political parties to participate in public affairs.”

Regarding the defense of the “institutional route” to resolve the disputes over the election results made by Lula, Petro and López Obrador, HRW praises the fact that once the Supreme Court of Justice validated Maduro’s victory on August 22, the three presidents to whom the letter was addressed chose not to give their recognition until the minutes broken down by voting table were released, as required by the high court’s ruling.

“We urge their governments to insist on independent verification of the results, which should be carried out by a credible and impartial third party,” he said.

Regarding the proposal for a “general amnesty,” HRW notes that “under international law, governments have an obligation to investigate and prosecute serious human rights violations and international crimes” and recalls that the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, as well as national and international human rights organizations, have documented serious human rights violations in the country.”

“Respecting these obligations under international human rights law will require strategic criminal investigations that prioritize the prosecution of those most responsible for atrocities and focus on the most serious and egregious crimes,” HRW concludes.