The Secretary General strongly condemns the arrests of opponents in Venezuela

He Secretary General It follows the situation in Venezuela “with great concern” and condemns the arrest of a large number of opponents and activists since the July elections, its spokesperson said this Friday.

“A peaceful solution to the political crisis requires full respect for human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, to hold opinions without interference and to peaceful assembly,” Stephan Dujarric told reporters.

Guterresstrongly condemns the detention of a large number of people, including opposition figuresjournalists and human rights defenders, since the presidential elections of July 28.” Furthermore, it “urges the authorities to guarantee and respect their human rights and to release all persons arbitrarily detained”he added.

“The Secretary General understands the frustration of a large part of the Venezuelan population and believes that the path to a peaceful Venezuela requires full respect for human rights and human dignity and that is why it is so concerned about the arrests that we have seen since July, but especially in recent days,” the spokesperson answered to questions. of the press about the future of the country.

Shortly before, the UN team in Caracas had asked to “guarantee and respect human rights” in the country, highlighting that “Inclusive dialogue is key to the well-being and peace of all the Venezuelan people“.

“Everyone has the right to security and personal integrity, to judicial guarantees and to freedoms of expression, opinion without interference, association and the right to peaceful assembly,” the team said in a statement. release in your X account.

Climate of terror

Along the same lines, a group of human rights experts* said that Venezuela must end arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances of opposition members and pro-democracy activists before the inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro’s third term.

Venezuelan opposition parties have called on citizens to join demonstrations against alleged electoral irregularities in the country’s July 2024 elections during today’s presidential inauguration.

“Repeatedly, these calls for peaceful protests have been followed by reports about the systematic use of forced disappearances and arbitrary detentions by the State authorities, in order to crush dissent,” the experts stated.

According to reports received, at least 19 people have been arrested arbitrarily throughout the country before the inauguration, and at least eight forcibly disappeared.

In August and September 2024, several UN experts expressed concern about reports of serious human rights violations in the context of the Venezuelan presidential elections.

They highlighted arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force against protesters, unlawful killings, forced disappearances, illegal dismissals, revocation of passports, persecution and prosecution of political opponents and people exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, and violations of the due process and irregularities during and after the elections.

“Human rights violations continue to be committed; The victims remain unprotected and there has been no accountability or justice against the perpetrators, nor guarantees of non-repetition amid the new mobilizations and protests that are expected in the coming days. The population is under a situation of terror due to the reactions that the State has had“, they warned.

Although some people who were detained after the elections have been released, experts asked the Government dozens of cases of forced disappearance of people linked to their real or perceived political affiliations, including those that occurred since July 28, 2024, and remain unresolved.

“In light of the planned protests, The Venezuelan State must guarantee the safety of protesters and refrain from acts of violence and violations to human rights that may put people’s lives and personal integrity at risk,” the experts said. “The State must also take swift action to address persistent allegations of systematic human rights violations in the country, especially against those who criticize or dissent from the Government.”

The experts, who have been in contact with the Government of Venezuela about these issuesurged authorities to address and prevent harassment, persecution, arbitrary detention and forced disappearance of people perceived as opposition, including peaceful protesters, to immediately release all arbitrarily detained personsnte already clarify the fate and whereabouts of the missing people.

* Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association;Gabriella Citroni (President-Rapporteur), Grażyna Baranowska (Vice President), Aua Baldé, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez and Mohammed Al-Obaidi, Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances.

The mandate holders of the Special Procedures They are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address specific country situations or thematic issues around the world. The experts are not part of the UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They provide their services on an individual basis and do not receive a salary for their work.