Politics UN report on Venezuela: one of the "most serious human rights crises"

Venezuela's authoritarian government has plunged the South American country into one of the worst human rights crises in recent history, according to a UN report.

"We are witnessing an intensification of the state's repressive apparatus in response to what it perceives as critical views, opposition or dissent," said Marta Valiñas, Chair of the United Nations International Independent Commission of Inquiry. The recent repression, due to its intensity and systematic nature, constitutes a very serious attack on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people, she said.

The Commission of Inquiry's report, which examines the human rights situation between September 2023 and August 2024, states that a "new milestone in the deterioration of the rule of law" was reached after the elections in July. The Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that there was persecution on political grounds during this period.

Following a presidential election on July 28 that was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, the electoral authority loyal to the party declared Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner. The country's opposition, however, spoke of electoral fraud and claimed victory for their candidate Edmundo González.

Over 2,500 arrests during protests

Protests broke out during the election, which were violently suppressed by the authorities. According to the human rights organization Provea, 25 people lost their lives and more than 2,500 were arrested. The opposition complained of numerous arbitrary arrests. "These people, including over a hundred children, some with disabilities, were accused of terrorism and incitement to hatred," the UN report said.

The USA and several Latin American countries recognize González as the winner of the election. The EU also doubts the official result. González left for Spain on September 8 and applied for political asylum there. An arrest warrant had previously been issued for him in Venezuela on charges including sabotage, conspiracy and usurpation of authority.

SDA