UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC57 - Human Rights in Venezuela

Excellencies distinguished colleagues.

As announced before

agenda item four entitled Human Rights

Situations that require the Council attention,

he's open.

We shall begin the interactive dialogue on the report of the

Independent International Fact Finding Mission on

the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The list of speakers

will close in 15 minutes.

And it is this afternoon my pleasure to

welcome the distinguished members of the commission.

Missus Martha Vallin. Yes,

Mister Francisco Cox

Field

and missus Patricia

Valdez.

I now give the floor to the chair of the fact finding mission to present the report.

Sir, you have the floor,

Madam, You will report.

Please

go ahead.

Gracias,

Senior

President.

Thank you, President.

Distinguished delegates,

ladies and gentlemen,

The Independent International Fact Finding Mission on the

Bolian. Republic of Venezuela

submits its fifth report to the Council in accordance with its resolution 5129.

This report,

together with the company conference room paper

to be published in the coming weeks,

covers the period

from the first of September 2023 and the F 31st of August 2024.

For the past year in particular since

the presidential elections of 28

July, there has been a worsening of the human rights situation.

The mission is aware that

this report has special significance

because of the current political and human rights circumstances. In Venezuela,

the repressive machinery of the Venezuelan state

continues to commit serious violations of human rights

and violations.

The victims and the population in generals are helpless

in the face of the arbitrary exercise of power.

In the context

in which the slightest semblance of legality and

the actions of the authorities is disappearing.

The risk of a breakdown of the rule of law in Venezuela is very high.

Since July 28 when the National Electoral Council announced President Maduro's

victory in the presidential election without showing evidence of it,

repression and political persecution have been increasing.

According to the mission's findings, 25 people were killed in the post

election

protests. A very high number of people were detained, including Children

and persons with disabilities

and several people victims of short term enforced disappearances.

We have received allegations and we have been able to

document cases of people subjected to true and cruel,

inhuman and degrading

treatment, as well as

acts of sexual and gender based violence

following the presidential election the mission had to adjust its

plan to carry out fact finding in order to

bring to the attention of the council the pre

results of its investigations into the events committed

after 28 July.

The set of violations that have been documented and

investigated and this report only represent a sample of

a much broader universe and cannot be understood only

as a product of the post electoral crisis.

These violations are a result of a plan designed in advance and executed

through different forms of repression,

a plan to discourage silence and nullify the political opposition and

voices critical of the government of President Maduro or those who demand

transparency in the electoral results.

In this context,

the mission concluded that some of the serious

violations of human rights investigated during this period

represent a continuation of the same line of conduct

that was characterised by the mission in

its previous reports as crimes against humanity.

The mission understand that some of the violations

documented during the time frame of its mandate,

including arbitrary detentions,

torture and sexual violence, as well as other

related violence of fundamental rights,

including freedom of association, assembly and freedom of expression

taken together

constitute the crime against humanity of persecution based on political motives.

Mr. President,

In March, during our oral update to this council,

the mission recalled that the repressive structure of the state

had not been dismantled and that it continued

to present a latent threat that could be activated

when the government deemed it

it necessary.

The numerous events that took place during

the period leading up to the presidential elections

confirmed that

we were facing a phase of reactivation of this repressive machinery

during the reporting period.

Targeted political repression of opponents or perceived opponents continued

between December 2023 and March 2024. At least 48 persons

39 men and nine women,

including civilians and military personnel, were arrested

in connection with what the authorities considered

to be conspiracies to stabilise the country,

overthrow the government or attempt on the life

of the president or other senior authorities.

This equates to at least three arrests every week, every week for four months.

The mission investigate cases diplomatic cases of arbitrary

detentions of well known personalities such as the lawyer

and human rights defender

ROSIO, Sam

Miguel

and her relatives.

Uh,

we also investigate the political persecution against the opposition,

especially against militants

and national regional leaders of Vente

Venezuela.

Five members of this political organisations,

with the rest warrant since March 2024

along with another person close to this opposition group,

took refuge in the residence of the Argentine ambassador in Caracas

and were granted asylum.

After the expulsion of the diplomatic representation of that country, Brazil took

over the custody of the residents with

the isolee in it.

However, on September 7th, the Venezuelan government decided to revoke the

approval grant to Brazil to guard

Argentina's diplomatic facilities.

In addition, during the election campaign between the fourth and 25th of July,

the mission delegated or documented up to 121

arrests of people who were arrested simply for

having provided some service in opposition campaign events.

Many of the detentions investigated by the mission

during the run up to the elections were arbitrary and were sometimes followed by

torture and short term enforced disappearances.

These

violations

considered the most violent expression

of the rural administrative and judicial obstacles

to legitimate political action of the opposition.

Mr President, the critical human rights

situation reached an unprecedented level in recent years following the

announcement of the election results in the early hours of

29 July. Even before the elections, President

Malu

and other high ranking officials had warned

of the possibility of an outbreak of violence

if they did not achieve electoral victory.

The wave of citizen protests that followed the announcement was repressed with

UH unusual harshness and violence.

According to sources from civil society organisations. Between

29 July and sixth

of August, 915 protests were registered.

The mission investigated in a preliminary matter

and confirmed the violent death of 25 persons

in the context of citizens rallies or protests.

24 of them died from gunshots, most of them young

uh men from

different neighbourhoods under 30 years of age.

The mission does not yet have sufficient evidence that

should be responsibility in these cases of death.

But in several of these cases,

the mission managed to document the presence of

members of the Bolivarian National Guard or the

National Police using their fire firearms to repress the protests.

The security forces

were sometimes accompanied by

groups of armed civilians who also fired firearms against

demonstrators.

Arrests in this period reached figures not recorded since 2019.

The same authorities recognised the detention of more than

2200 people

between July 29 and 6 August alone.

Although the detention of members of the

political opposition members of civil society,

including journalists,

continues most of the victims of Earth

after the elections came from popular neighbourhoods

and were identified by security forces after obtaining videos or photos published

and on social networks, or

by informing on people related to the ruling poppy

in response to calls from the president itself,

These arrests were massive and indiscriminate and were carried out

based on

preconceived plans such as the threatening Tun Tun

operation

in the last month and a half. The mission

and has documented 143 arrests,

including 66 militants or leaders of seven different opposition parties,

initiated the investigation

of 12 of those arrests.

Security forces entered private homes without

the necessary court orders and detained people

to the desperation of relatives.

In the cases investigated by mission,

staff members did not even know the name of persons to be arrested.

The homes of people who had participated in process or who were suspected of Duns

said

were marked with an X.

The president Maduro said the detainees should be

sent to labour camps for re education.

In this context, the mission documented

the detention with at least 100 58 Children, 130 boys and 28 girls,

a phenomenon never before recorded on such a scale.

These Children were arrested after the protests,

charged with serious crimes such as terrorism or incitement of hatred

pending for their

ation.

The mission has already been able

to document serious violations of international standards

for the protection of Children.

Mr. President.

The mission noted that the practise of

short term enforced disappearances has not ceased

based on a strict interpretation of international standards.

The mission found reasonable grounds to believe that

in 13 cases, state agents carried out

deprivations of liberty and refused to recognise

the fate or whereabouts of the detainees,

removing them for the protection of the law.

This number rises to more than 20

according to more expansive interpretation of the pro

prohibition of enforced disappearance

in at least 27 post election cases,

the mission documented situations that could constitute enforced disappearance

in

these cases of detainees were unable to

communicate with their family members and lawyers.

The authorities did not acknowledge their detention

and they did not appear at a judicial control hearing within the 48 period,

8 48 hour period established by the law.

Acts of torture, cruel

and human or degrading treatment also continued.

The mission identified a range of torture methods

used by security forces or intelligence services,

including punching

beatings with wooden planks or bats

wrapped in foam electric shocks,

fixation with plastic bags,

Imation

called water and forced sleep deprivation.

The mission continued to record sexual and gender based

violence,

especially in detention centres which increased after the post electoral crisis.

The mission documented and groping of breasts, buttocks and genitals,

forced nudity, invasive searches, sexist threats and insults,

and denial of sexual and reproductive rights against some

of the more than 200 women and girls detained,

as well as women

visiting

loved loved ones in detention centres.

The mission recorded numerous

allegations about critical convictions of detention in the main centres

where authorities detained persons

in the aftermath of the protests, such as the

Toon and

Toco

Ito prisons for men and La

Risala

for women

both before and after the elections. The mission identified

serious and systematic violations of due process of detainees.

The,

for example,

the detentions that where

there was no judicial order, that

there were

unjustified delays in the presentation

of detained persons before supervisory justice

for the legally established 48 hours.

The possibility of having a defence of one's own choice,

the conduct of hearings at night

in the same detention centres or disproportionate accusations

without

factual basis

that employs sentences up to 30 years in prison.

Mr President, the violations described above

took place within the framework of

increasingly shrinking civic and democratic space.

On August 15,

National Assembly

United still approved the known

law on NGO S.

Despite the recommendations of the country from the missions as well

as from the Office of the High Commissioner and the Inter American

Commission on Human Rights.

The approved text is incompatible with international norms

and standards on the right to freedom of association and further restricts

the ability of civil society organisations,

including

human rights organisations, to act freely.

The National Assembly also advanced in the process of approving

the draught law against fascism, neofascist and similar expressions.

Under a broad and ambiguous definition

definition of fascism and

neo fascism that will criminalise as legitimate ideological expressions.

Mr. President, the situation in the Bear

Republic of Venezuela, especially since 28 July, 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 our report to this council.

Hundreds of people, including Children,

continue to be detained in unacceptable conditions,

increasing the risk of being subjected

to torture

and ill treatment, including

sexual or gender based violence.

Politically motivated persecution

continues.

The international community faces a

great responsibility to stop this persecution

to ensure that violations and crimes that have been committed and

continue to be committed do not go unpunished.

And to encourage the victims

by ensuring that they can obtain justice. Thank you very much for your attention.

I thank you, madam, for presenting the report of the FFM on Venezuela.

And, uh,

according to our practise,

we shall start by hearing the delegation of the country consent.

Mister Ambassador of Venezuela. I gave you the floor for five minutes.

Thank you, President. We have just heard the reading out of a ridiculous pamphlet

by the illegitimate

body created by the

Lima Group, basically

going along with Washington's orders years after the irregular imposition,

this council is still listening to this politicised.

I think it's just testimony to the erratic working of this body of the UN.

Western countries are turning council into a body that is simply

blackmailing

Southern countries, wanting to impose on the UN

the narrative of fascism.

And this is really a shameless mission, I have to say.

And I'm careful with what I say

as of which it simply invents things.

People who are faceless, they're not identified the people.

The report itself is a farce. It is really done deliberately as well.

And I think that is something that strikes council. We have to reject it.

We have to reject it. If not,

we are simply,

hampering forever. This body,

this council, look at what's happening in Palestine.

What's happening with the with the blessing of the US and the EU,

the sovereign state of Venezuela has been systematically attacked.

Every single time we've said that

and looking at the UN red tape, we see that there is an absolute

dead set on attacking our president.

We've seen that there is a real attempt to invade our territory. This all promoted by

the US

And we've seen that with people that our state security have captured

and imprisoned.

All this is swept under the carpet because of the hypocrisy of this system.

And all you seem to be concerned about is who the people are,

that they carry out the mandate that's been imposed on them.

This means that victims

are actually everything is wrong. The victims become those who perpetrate

the crimes. It's upside down.

President,

A new pandemic

affects humanity. That new pandemic is called fascism.

This is something that we are seeing flourishing

and under the aegis of the US and the EU.

It seems like they want to clamp down on the

emerging of a new multi polar reality. We have to condemn this dangerous reality.

We have to fight back against it.

We cannot permit this complicit.

This fascism that is starting to prevail in violates

the rights of people are upholding democratic institutions.

We have to rectify things,

get back on course so that we actually uphold

the principles behind the creation of this council.

We had a successful electoral process,

President Maduro was elected with over 50 per cent.

But the fascist right in Venezuela has sparked

a wave of violence,

simply pushing to one side the

outcome of those elections, including criminals.

And you've got to look at what we've done in

these weren't

peaceful proposals and peaceful demonstrations that we say, on the contrary.

And in fact this was something OHC HR in a flagrant fashion

has shown it is

also acting in his accomplice here and we want to denounce that as well.

27

Venezuelans have been

murdered in Venezuela, paid by the extreme right in Venezuela,

victims

are community leaders, they're poor people. And of course, you just ignore them

in the human rights system

because you want to ignore that because they're poor.

This double standards needs to be rejected.

There has to be balanced approach

from this council.

There cannot be aggression and attacks on the sovereignty of people.

We have to stop this irrational politicisation

that we are seeing which is riding Russia over human rights.

We have got the most robust protective system in Venezuela. We're proud of it,

and the sanctions are aiming to destroy that again.

Riding Russia over the rights, the US, the EU, what they're doing are

actually involved in crimes against humanity. President

Maduro, As long

prior to him,

President Maduro is doing all they can and we are moving along this path to victory.

As they both said,

Oh!

HRC57 - Human Rights in Venezuela - 20 September 2024