The approval last week of the Law for the Regularization of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Venezuela, proposed to Parliament by the Nicolás Maduro regime, could further increase state repression against opponents and critics of Chavismo, as well as intensify control over information in the country.
The legislation, which consists of 39 articles, requires all NGOs, both national and international, to be registered by the Caracas dictatorship and to submit their activities to state supervision. It has been described by critics and opponents as the Maduro regime’s new weapon to further consolidate its power over information and to silence, once and for all, the dissenting voices that still reside on Venezuelan soil, strengthening censorship and surveillance over the activities of the only entities that still monitor abuses perpetrated by Caracas.
Under the legislation, which is awaiting Maduro’s signature before it can go into effect, NGOs will now have to obtain prior authorization from the regime to carry out any type of activity, which could severely limit their ability to operate independently. In addition, NGOs must also report in detail all of their financial transactions, something that could be used to intimidate and permanently restrict the organizations’ already limited freedom of action.
Article 15 of this law prohibits the promotion of “fascism, intolerance, hatred or any act that constitutes incitement to discrimination and violence,” something that could be problematic given that the Venezuelan regime’s authorities already classify many voices critical of Maduro as people who propagate “hateful, terrorist and fascist speech.” Articles 28 and 29 of this law provide for the dissolution of NGOs that publish information considered “violent or involved in political activities,” something that the regime could implement at any time, since it considers any report of repression made against its critics to be a “violent and political” action to attack the dictator.
Deborah Van Berkel, a human rights activist and member of the Ideas por la Democracia community, told the website Cocuyo Effect that Maduro’s law poses a significant threat to civil society in Venezuela. According to Van Berkel, the legislation restricts the ability of organizations to act autonomously and further closes civic space, which is critical in a context where constitutional guarantees are already largely suspended.
“This law affects all of Venezuelan society and that is why we call it the ‘Anti-Society Law.’ Any organization, not just organizations traditionally known as NGOs, but any social organization, can be dissolved without the necessary guarantees for its defense,” said Van Berkel.
Pattern in current authoritarian regimes
The law passed in Venezuela follows a trend seen in other authoritarian countries, such as Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua, whose regimes have also implemented similar regulations to restrict the activities of NGOs. In Nicaragua, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega has already closed more than 1,500 NGOs in a single day. Currently, all organizations that denounce the repressive actions of the Sandinistas are outside the country and recover local information and complaints through independent individuals who still reside in the Central American country.
These laws passed in authoritarian countries are always used as a “legal” way to silence civil society and control critical voices. Currently, the NGOs and opposition members of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) are the only ones in Venezuela who still publish reports on the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by Caracas against opponents and the population.
The NGO Provea, which has a partnership with the United Nations (UN) and documents cases of repression led by Maduro – currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – issued a statement shortly after the law was approved, saying that it “ultimately aims to control even the smallest aspect of people’s lives and the country”.
“We alert the international community to this law, which will increase the persecution of dissenting voices and silence civic space,” said Provea.
Amnesty International has also condemned the law, saying it violates fundamental rights of association and public participation. Ana Piquer, the organization’s Americas director, said the law could result in an even greater crackdown on human rights and community organizations, jeopardizing the continuity of their work and making it harder for them to provide assistance to victims.
“The approval of this law puts at risk the existence and functioning of community, humanitarian and human rights organizations, with ambiguous articles that could serve as a basis for disproportionately sanctioning them and even arbitrarily outlawing them on a massive scale,” said Piquer. in a text published on the organization’s website.
“The intention behind approving this law is to prevent Venezuelan civil society from continuing to support victims, providing assistance that the authorities are unable to provide, and denouncing the complex humanitarian crisis in which the country is immersed, as well as the possible crimes against humanity orchestrated by the government of Nicolás Maduro,” Piquer added.
Brian Nichols, the U.S. State Department’s undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, criticized the law, saying it further isolates the Maduro regime from the international community and weakens Venezuela’s already fragile democracy by restricting citizen participation.
“Maduro and his proxies’ new law to control Venezuelan NGOs is a direct attack on civil society and freedom of association, undermines democracy and impedes citizen participation in civic spaces. This action will only further isolate Maduro from the global community,” Nichols said. in your X account.
After the approval of the law against NGOs, the Chavista regime also seeks to pass in Parliament, over which it has control, another legislation considered repressive by opponents: the so-called “anti-fascist law”.
Composed of 30 articles, this legislation seeks to punish acts considered by the Maduro regime as “fascist, neo-fascist or similar”, with penalties ranging from fines to the dissolution of organizations and even long periods of imprisonment.
Opponents say that the broad definitions of “fascism” and the possibility of arbitrary interpretation by the Caracas regime could transform the measure into yet another instrument of institutionalized censorship and repression, which could further restrict freedom of expression and association in the country.
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