Venezuela: Rights probe points to unprecedented repression of critics
Violence used against opponents of the Venezuelan authorities has reached unprecedented levels, a top independent human rights probe alleged on Tuesday, citing arrests, sexual abuse and torture as just some of the methods used by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power.
In a new report, the Human Rights Council-mandated investigators described how security forces had raided dozens of homes of suspected critics of the Government “just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people”.
Victims’ testimonies gathered either side of the disputed Presidential election on 28 July which returned Mr. Maduro to office for the third time pointed to “one of the most acute human rights crises in recent history”, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela further maintained.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Marta Valiñas, Chair of the investigation, insisted that that its latest findings were “overwhelming: not only have there been no improvements, but the violations have intensified, reaching unprecedented levels of violence”.
The independent rights expert described “an intensification of the State’s repressive machinery” with regard to its critics which represented “a continuation of previous patterns” that the independent rights panel had already condemned as likely crimes against humanity.
Following the re-election of Mr. Maduro – whose victory announcement prompted widespread protests across Venezuela - Ms. Valiñas said that the probe had confirmed 25 fatalities. Most of the victims were “young people under 30 years old from popular neighbourhoods. There are two children among them,” she said.
One of the deceased was a member of the Bolivarian National Guard, Ms. Valiñas noted, before adding that 24 “died from gunshot wounds [and] the other was beaten to death”.
The Fact-Finding Mission’s latest report examines the human rights situation in Venezuela between September 2023 and August 2024. It points to a further deterioration of the rule of law following the Presidential elections, while public authorities “have abandoned all semblance of independence”, leaving citizens “helpless” against the “arbitrary exercise” of power.
“We documented more than 40 cases in which the security forces entered private homes without warrants, just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people who they thought had participated in protests or who had expressed criticism in social media,” explained Francisco Cox Vial, Member of the fact-finding mission that was created by the Human Rights Council in 2019.
According to the independent investigators, more than 120 people were arrested in July in the context of opposition campaign events. In the first week of protests following the elections, based on figures released by the authorities, more than 2,000 people were detained. Individuals included more than 100 children, some with disabilities, who faced accusations of terrorism and incitement to hatred and serious violations of due process, the investigators added.
“Of the people detained in this period, many were subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as sexual violence which was perpetrated against women and girls, but also against men with reported electric shocks, beating with blunt objects, suffocation with plastic bags, immersion in cold water and forced sleep deprivation,” said Patricia Tappatá Valdez, member of the fact-finding mission.
“We had been able to verify that at least 143 of these arrests involved members of seven opposition parties, including 66 leaders of political movements,” she added.
According to the rights probe, from December 2023 to March 2024, at least 48 people were detained on the grounds of “so-called conspiracy theories” against the Government, with arrest warrants issued for others. The individuals included military personnel, human rights defenders, journalists and political opposition representatives, the fact-finding mission said.
“We cannot ignore that these violations represent a clear and deliberate line of conduct by the authorities of politically motivated persecution,” said investigator Mr. Cox Vial. “We have come to the conclusion that many of these allegations constitute crimes against humanity.”
Story: Venezuela human rights probe
TRT: 02’21”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 17 September 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
Speakers:
• Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission
• Francisco Cox Vial, Member of the Fact-Finding Mission
• Patricia Tappatá Valdez, Member of the Fact-Finding Mission
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday voiced alarm at the loss of life as a result of the escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNICEF , WHO
As Lebanon mourns the victims of a wave of Israeli airstrikes believed to have left hundreds dead, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday against a return to the “dark days of 2006” when full-scale war broke out, calling for an urgent de-escalation and the protection of civilians.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Tuesday highlighted the continued appalling human rights situation in Myanmar.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent appeal for nearly $59 million on Friday to halt the rapid spread of mpox in six African countries including Burundi, where youngsters have been impacted the most.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Climate crisis: New technologies offer hope for global action, says UN weather agency
Amid renewed warnings from leading climate scientists that global warming could reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels this century, the head of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted on Wednesday that new technologies and AI offer the opportunity to implement the drastic action needed to resist the existential crisis.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday published its latest report on the human rights situation in Myanmar, detailing a range of serious violations that continue to underscore the deepening crisis and lack of rule of law throughout the country.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
In northeast Nigeria, UN humanitarians are rushing to assist scores of newly displaced people after torrential rains caused a dam to collapse and flood the area, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
Gaza’s economy has “collapsed months ago” while in the West Bank, violence and trade restrictions are fueling a massive surge in poverty and unemployment, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned on Thursday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Human rights violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to spiral out of control, says Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy Human Rights to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Northern Gaza-bound UN convoy stopped ahead of polio vaccination campaign in the area – WHO
Safe and sustained access is essential for the success of the polio vaccination campaign in Northern Gaza and UN humanitarians will try again to reach the area with fuel following an attempt blocked by the Israeli military, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
'Human rights are our mainstay against unbridled power and can steer us towards greater justice and stability' says Volker Türk, UN Human Rights Chief at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Sudan crisis: Rights investigators demand arms embargo extension to end ‘rampant’ abuses
Top human rights investigators into Sudan’s brutal war called on Friday for a country-wide arms embargo as they recounted harrowing testimony of victims of horrific sexual attacks whose bodies are viewed as a “theatre of operation” by fighters acting with total impunity.