Human rights violations escalate in Venezuela after controversial presidential election
new one report expands on the findings presented next September Human Rights Council in Geneva. It documents an escalating pattern of human rights abuses by Venezuelan security forces, government officials, and armed pro-government civilian groups, known as “colectivos,” following the attack . The presidential election is contested in Venezuela in July 2024.
Coordinated repression
The Mission’s findings revealed a coordinated effort to target perceived political opponents. Investigators said the abuses “were carried out as part of a coordinated plan to silence, discourage and extinguish opposition to President Maduro’s Government.”
theHuman Rights Council– The Mandatory Mission found that detainees, including children and people with disabilities, were in some cases threatened with acts of torture to incriminate themselves for serious crimes , such as terrorism. Many are denied access to legal representation, leaving them vulnerable to harsh punishment and prolonged detention.
Particularly egregious is the number of detained minors, who face the same threats as adults, with the report noting that they “do not benefit from the procedural guarantees provided by the Basics of Child and Youth Protection and international norms and standards for them. .”
Crime against humanity
The Mission’s report confirms that a number of human rights violations recorded during this period amounted to crimes against humanity, including political persecution.
At least 25 people were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands remain detained for exercising their basic right to freedom of expression.The report revealed.
The delegation concluded by calling for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals and called on the Venezuelan government to respect the physical and psychological integrity of those detained. International attention to protecting children in these cases is also emphasized.
theIndependent international fact-finding mission will continue to investigate the situation as requested by the Human Rights Council recently decision extend their term for another two years.
The Mission was established by the Council in September 2019 to assess alleged human rights violations committed in Venezuela since 2014.
It consists of three experts who are not employees of the United Nations, do not receive compensation for their work and do not represent any government or organization.
