Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 09:38
The government of Nicolás Maduro is committing “crimes against humanity.” This is the main conclusion of the United Nations mission in Venezuela, whose report was released on Tuesday. “During the period covered by this report, and especially after the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, the State reactivated and intensified the harshest and most violent form of its repressive machinery,” says the text to which this newspaper has had access.
According to the mission, headed by Portuguese Marta Valiñas, Nicolás Maduro’s team is now focused on eliminating all peaceful opposition through a series of actions that are not “isolated or random, but part of a continuous and coordinated plan to silence, discourage and repress” those who may express any thought that does not conform to official rhetoric. “Although this is a continuation of previous patterns, the recent repression, due to its intensity and systematic nature, represents a very serious attack on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people,” Valiñas told reporters.
The report, prepared by jurist Valiñas, Chilean lawyer Francisco Cox and Argentinean Patricia Tappatá, focuses on events that occurred in the South American country between September 1, 2023, and August 31. Among the documented cases are 48 arrests between December and March of this year on charges of conspiracy, as well as arrest warrants against other people, who are not only activists, journalists or political opponents, but also military personnel.
“The current crisis in Venezuela is the worst in recent history and a new milestone has been reached in the deterioration of the rule of law following the presidential elections of July 28,” the report said.
Arbitrary detentions
In the more than 21 pages of the UN text, Valiñas, Cox and Tappatá document dozens of arrests and campaigns of repression against political opponents of the Venezuelan government. “All the arrests take place without an arrest warrant, the force that detained them is not identified, and it is not stated where the detained persons are taken. According to Venezuelan legislation, within 48 hours the persons have to be presented at a hearing. After July 28, almost all the arrests are arbitrary, there is no information given about where the detainee is taken, and the persons cannot appoint a lawyer. The Venezuelan government is pushing the limits of what is permitted,” the text details.
This mission, which will present its findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council next Thursday, is a new twist in the international pressure against the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The presentation will coincide with the European Parliament’s vote on the EU’s position on the political crisis in the Venezuelan presidential elections, where the majority opposition is claiming victory.
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