- The organizations recalled that so far this year, 46 arrests of political activists have been recorded in the country | Main photo: Pixabay
62 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Venezuela have asked the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to monitor and accompany the electoral process on July 28.
“We ask you, as the highest representative of the United Nations human rights protection system, to monitor, to speak out loud and clear, and to take all actions within your mandate to support the Venezuelan population in its right to resolve its conflicts in a peaceful and participatory manner,” the NGOs said in a statement published on Wednesday, July 3.
They also asked that this support serve to enable Venezuelans to exercise their right to vote peacefully and to provide guarantees for voting in “credible, inclusive, transparent, competitive and legitimate” elections.
“We warn about the systematic, widespread pattern carried out by state institutions to violate rights enshrined in our Constitution and in international human rights treaties and covenants,” they added.
According to the organizations, the repressive actions carried out by the Venezuelan State violate the right of the population to choose and generate “greater restrictions on civic space.”
“It is for this reason that we want to express our concern that, starting on July 4 (when the electoral campaign begins), the pattern of violations documented so far will increase exponentially,” they warned.
The NGOs referred to the figures recorded by the Peace and Access to Justice Laboratory, which they say that 46 people linked to the presidential elections have been arrested so far this year.
They also recalled that at least 32 acts of harassment and 12 cases of persecution against political activists have occurred.
“In total, during 2024, 19 political leaders and officials linked to the opposition have been disqualified by administrative means. Among them, 12 acting mayors elected by popular vote,” they added.
Vente Venezuela arrests and closure of commercial premises
Of the total number of arrests included in the Access to Justice report, 18 are members of the Vente Venezuela party, led by Machado, and the rest belong to other anti-Chavez organizations or sympathize with González Urrutia’s candidacy.
According to the NGO, the authorities announced during the first half of 2024 the disqualification of 12 mayors from holding public office, days after they expressed their support for the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD).
The investigation also included the closure or inspection of 16 establishments (hotels and restaurants) that provided service to Machado or his team during his tour of 10 of the country’s 23 states.
The Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) also seized two rudimentary boats for the same reasons and seven road closures were recorded in an attempt to prevent Machado and González Urrutia from holding events planned in seven regions of Venezuela.
According to the latest report presented by Machado, 37 arrests had been recorded as of June 17.
The panel of experts that the UN will send
The UN confirmed on June 25 that it will send a Expert Panel for the presidential elections on July 28, to prepare a “confidential” report for the secretary general of that multilateral organization.
The body explained that this is one of the various types of electoral assistance they provide to their member states and that, unlike electoral observation missions, the panel of experts does not issue public statements on the general development of electoral processes.
With information from EFE
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2024-07-03 19:07:11