The Special Rapporteur on the negative repercussions of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights asked the United States on Monday to allow the shipment to Venezuela of spare parts for electron microscopes used to detect diseases and driving of vital medical research.
Alena Douhan considers that the sanctions of the North American country that block the shipment of these supplies violate the rights of the Venezuelan people to health and life.
Electron microscopes are commonly used in medical diagnostics, but nearly four years have passed since two Venezuelan institutions ordered the parts. Venezuela has fourteen electron microscopes manufactured by the American company Thermo Fisher Scientific, of which only three work. So far, the company has not obtained permission from the United States to export the necessary parts.
“In addition to the legal obligation to comply with international human rights law, The United States also has a moral obligation to the Venezuelan people not to deprive them of their basic human rights.“, affirmed the specialist who asked the US authorities to lift the sanctions, which are legally doubtful according to international law, or to grant the corresponding export licenses as quickly as possible.
Douhan stressed that these scientific instruments “are the only way to detect many diseases, so they are essential for adequate treatment” and that the US Executive “has an obligation, under international human rights law, not to harm the ability of Venezuelan doctors to correctly diagnose diseases. Without accurate diagnosis and treatment, people can die“.
Microscopes are also used for judicial purposes
Electron microscopes are not only used for the diagnosis of diseases, but are also used in the field of scientific research such as that carried out by Venezuela on viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
“International law protects the right of people around the world to benefit from scientific progress, but this cannot happen when scientists cannot continue their research,” said the expert, who indicated that microscopes are covered by the Agreement on Florence, an international treaty that obliges participating countries to facilitate trade in scientific goods, including the United States.
Aside from scientific uses, microscopes are also used in crime labs to examine evidence; however, Duhan stressed that “the United States has sanctioned some Venezuelan judges to show its dissatisfaction with the functioning of the justice system, but should use its remaining sanctions against Venezuela to undermine the structural capacity of the system to deliver justice“.
The expert concluded that both the right to enjoy the highest possible level of physical and mental health, as well as the right to conduct scientific research and benefit from its results, are enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and form part of customary international law.
*Special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups are part of what are known as special procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name for the Council’s independent investigation and monitoring mechanisms that deal with specific country situations or thematic issues around the world. The experts of the Special Procedures work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and provide their services in their individual capacity.
Add Comment