HRW asks the president of Colombia to help Venezuela respect human rights

Colombian President Gustavo Petro could use the restoration of diplomatic relations with Venezuela to promote respect for human rights in that country, in addition to facilitating genuine negotiations to restore the rule of law,Human Rights Watch Monday.

The organization that promotes the defense of human rights also urged Petro to support the entry of humanitarian assistance into Venezuela, end the collaboration of the security forces of the oil country with the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and address the violence, abuse and human trafficking on the binational border.

Petro, who in August he took over As the first left-wing president in Colombian history, he restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela and pushed for the reopening of the 2,219-kilometer border with the resumption of trade between the two countries.

“In its talks with the Maduro government, Colombia must prioritize obtaining concrete commitments from the Venezuelan authorities to respect human rights,” pray HWR’s letter to Petro.

“Colombia could play a key role in helping to put an end to human rights violations in Venezuela and on the border with Colombia, and in restoring political rights and the rule of law,” he added.

There was no immediate official response from the Government of Colombia to the request from HRW, an organization for which Venezuela is facing a humanitarian and human rights crisis that has forced more than 7.1 million people to flee their country.

It was also not possible to obtain comments from the government of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

In September 2022, the United Nations International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela established that the state intelligence agencies under the command of Maduro suppressed the opposition through arbitrary arrests and torture that constituted crimes against humanity.

The non-governmental organization said that the Colombian government could help implement the recommendations of the European Union electoral observation mission ahead of the elections scheduled for 2024.

The United States recently admitted that could ease sanctions to Venezuela if Maduro returns to talks with the opposition in Mexico and takes steps to organize free elections.

Caracas broke off relations with Bogotá at the beginning of 2019, after Venezuelan opponents tried to cross from Colombian territory with trucks loaded with food and medicine, arguing that this aid was masking an attempted coup by the opposition with the support of Washington.

Colombian governments prior to Petro accused Maduro of harboring criminals and rebel groups in Venezuelan territory, accusations that the president has denied.

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