- The delegation presented its new report, which shows an increase in repression, to the UN Human Rights Council
The United Nations (UN) Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela presented its report to the Human Rights Council on Friday, September 20. new report in which he exposes the “serious violations of human rights” in the country.
During the 20th session of the UN Security Council, the head of the mission, Marta Valiñas, warned of increased repression in the context of the July 28 elections in Venezuela.
“These human rights violations are the result of a plan designed in advance and executed through different forms of repression to discourage, silence and nullify political opposition,” he said.
Valiñas said that the State’s actions represent a “continuation of the same line of conduct” that was characterized as crimes against humanity in other reports.
Human rights violations
Marta Valiñas said that the Venezuelan State’s “repressive machinery” continues to commit serious human rights violations and aggravated crimes in the last year, especially since the presidential elections.
“The numerous events that occurred during the period prior to the elections confirmed that we were facing a reactivation of this repressive machinery (…). The victims and the population in general are helpless in the face of the arbitrary exercise of power,” he said.
The UN independent mission documented that 121 people were arrested for offering their services at opposition campaign events ahead of the July 28 elections.
The situation in Venezuela, especially since July 28, has become one of the most acute human rights crises in the country’s recent history. Serious human rights violations and crimes continue to be committed as we present our report,” he warned.
Deaths in protests and arbitrary arrests
The UN mission confirmed the deaths of 25 people during post-election protests.
“Most of them were men under 30 years of age from poor neighborhoods. In several of these cases, the mission was able to document the presence of members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) or the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) using their firearms to suppress the protests,” Marta Valiñas stressed.
The leader of the mission also stated that most of the people detained in the electoral context in Venezuela live in poor neighborhoods and were identified by state security officials.
“These arrests were massive and indiscriminate and were carried out based on preconceived plans such as ‘Operation Tun Tun’,” he said.
In its report, the UN mission documented 158 children who were detained during post-election protests and subsequently prosecuted for alleged terrorism offences. “The mission has already been able to document serious violations of child protection standards,” Valiñas said.
On the other hand, the organization has registered an increase in cases that could constitute forced disappearances. In this regard, the president of the mission warned that complaints of torture continue to be recorded.
The mission identified a series of torture methods used by the security services, such as punches, beatings with bats, electric shocks, suffocation with plastic bags, among others,” said Marta Valiñas.
He also stressed that the international community has a great responsibility to stop this persecution and to ensure that “the violations and crimes that have been committed do not go unpunished.”
Positions of States during the interactive dialogue
In her speech, Ecuador’s representative to the UN, who also spoke on behalf of Argentina, Canada, Chile, Guatemala, Paraguay and Uruguay, demanded that the government of Nicolás Maduro “stop the repression” that has intensified since the elections of July 28 and investigate human rights violations.
“We deplore the lack of independence of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), whose pronouncements on the last electoral process are inconsistent with the rule of law and deepen the deterioration of the human rights situation in Venezuela,” he said.
The representative of the European Union asked the administration of Nicolás Maduro to “release all political prisoners” and demanded that investigations into human rights violations in Venezuela continue so that those responsible are held accountable.
The representatives of Liechtenstein, Italy and Ireland supported the report and expressed concern about arbitrary arrests and demanded an investigation into deaths during demonstrations and other violations.
The Portuguese ambassador urged Nicolás Maduro to resume the Barbados agreements, in the face of repression against the Venezuelan people.
For his part, the Cuban ambassador reiterated his rejection of the UN Mission’s report on Venezuela. He said that it responds to “a well-known political agenda” and reaffirmed his support for “Nicolás Maduro’s victory.”
The delegation of the Nicolás Maduro government to the Human Rights Council described the reading of the report as a “ridiculous pamphlet written by an illegitimate mission created by the Lima Group following orders from Washington (United States) to promote the change of regime of the legitimate president of Venezuela.”
He also mentioned that the report’s wording seeks to impose on the UN the narrative of the “Venezuelan fascist right that inspired this mission.”
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2024-09-20 17:55:08
