Political parties and NGOs in Venezuela denounced this Thursday (15) that the decision by Nicolás Maduro's dictatorship to close a UN human rights office in Caracas and expel its employees from the country risks increasing violations of these rights.
A local technical advisory office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been operating in the country since 2019, with the aim of investigating allegations of disrespect for these rights by Chavismo.
However, this Thursday, the Venezuelan regime suspended the office's activities and gave its employees a 72-hour deadline to leave the country, alleging “interference in internal affairs”.
The UN had questioned the disappearance for a few days and the arrest of the lawyer and activist Rocío San Miguel, who was later presented to a court without the right to private legal representation.
“In Venezuela, the dictatorship being investigated for crimes against humanity has now expelled the UN office that documents our human rights situation on site. We alert the world about the defenseless position in which political parties, human rights organizations and civil society remain in the face of this situation”, stated the Voluntad Popular (VP) party, in its account on X.
The NGO Provea expressed its concern on the same social network. “This measure increases the lack of protection for victims against abuse and attempts to prevent the scrutiny of international protection bodies in the face of serious human rights violations that are committed daily”, denounced the organization.
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said the United Nations regrets the announcement of the Chavista dictatorship and is “evaluating the next steps”.
“Our guiding principle has been and continues to be the promotion and protection of the human rights of the people of Venezuela,” he said.
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