The High Commissioner of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), Volker Türk, expressed concern about the “disproportionate” use of force and violence during protests against the results of the July 28 presidential elections in Venezuela and urged the authorities to release all those arbitrarily arrested, before and after the elections.
Türk welcomed the fact that the Venezuelan authorities have begun the release of more than a hundred detainees, including minors, and urged them to review the cases of those who are still in prison, in accordance with the guarantees of due process and other standards. international.
Afterwards, the Venezuelan government repudiated the statements, considering them lacking “substantiation and objectivity,” and assured that they evidence its subordination to US interests, forming part of an alleged “political aggression against our homeland.”
“The erratic and selective behavior of the OHCHR completely disqualifies any pretense of impartiality. “We remind its owner and the system he represents that Venezuela will not accept attempts at tutelage or colonial interference disguised as concerns for human rights,” specified a statement from the foreign ministry.
The government of Nicolás Maduro announced on Thursday that this week there were 103 releases, which are added to the 225 precautionary measures granted in November, after the president asked the justice bodies to review the causes related to the violent events that occurred in the post-electoral context.
Maduro was declared winner of the elections presidential elections, but the opposition, which published copies of the minutes kept by its table witnesses, denounced fraud and attributed the victory to former candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, currently in “forced” exile in Spain.
Part of the international community has not recognized Maduro as the winner and has called for independent verification of the results that caused protests that left 28 people dead and more than 2,400 detained.
When presenting this Friday its update on the situation of fundamental rights in Venezuela in an interactive dialogue at the UN Human Rights Council, the OHCHR also called for a “rapid and effective” investigation into the deaths and to guarantee a fair trial for those detained, which includes the possibility of them appointing lawyers of their choice.
Türk reiterated that in recent weeks his office resumed “partially” its activities in Venezuelaand said he hoped that his “full presence” could be achieved.
The permanent representative of Venezuela to the UN, Alexander Yánez, responded that in his country there is a “vibrant democracy,” and that Türk’s intervention, just at a time when the first steps are being taken to reactivate cooperation with his office , “they contribute nothing” to the process.
“They compromise the objectivity and impartiality, the independence of the work of your office,” he insisted when rejecting the mandates that, according to him, seek to put political pressure to achieve a change of government.
The Venezuelan government decided to suspend the activities of the OHCHR office in February of this year, after accusing it of being a “biased entity”, after stating that the detention of the lawyer who is an expert in military affairs, Rocío San Miguelcould qualify, at that time, as a forced disappearance.
In April, during its fourth visit to Venezuela, the government committed to International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, who is investigating alleged crimes against humanity in the country, to allow the office to return.
The OHCHR reiterated the urgency of political negotiations between the different Venezuelan political actors to agree on a viable path, regarding the inauguration of the elected president of Venezuela. next January 10 and the regional, municipal and legislative elections scheduled for 2025.
“Restrictive legislation”
Türk insisted this Friday that civic space in Venezuela is restricted and affirmed that legislation approved this year by the ruling majority Parliament, including the Simon Bolivar Law and the Inspection LawAction and Financing of NGOs, threaten to “seriously infringe” the exercise of fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, association and political participation.
The Simón Bolívar Law contemplates imprisonment of 25 to 30 years, million-dollar fines, as well as disqualification from holding public office against opponents who support foreign sanctions against Venezuela, as well as any action against the country, its authorities and institutions.
For the representative of Venezuela, the laws reinforce the protection of sovereignty and the duty of Venezuelans to defend their homeland.
The OHCHR recognized that sectoral sanctions have a “disproportionate impact” on the most vulnerable and stressed that Venezuelans face “serious” obstacles to access food, education and medical care, among others, as well as decent wages.
Different local organizations and international bodies have expressed concern about an escalation in human rights violations in Venezuela in recent years, but especially after the recent presidential elections.
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