Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 1st August. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela on Wednesday voiced deep concern over reports of human rights abuses after the weekend’s presidential election.
The Mission said it has received credible accounts of detentions, injuries and fatalities linked to violence by security forces and armed civilian groups, known as colectivos, in the wake of President Nicolás Maduro’s declared victory.
The National Electoral Council announced incumbent President Maduro as the winner early Monday, sparked nationwide protests.
The Fact-Finding Mission has documented at least 6 deaths and numerous injuries among protesters as of Wednesday morning.
The Attorney General reported the death of a member of the armed forces and injuries of 46 military and police personnel.
Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Mission, emphasized the need for public order operations to adhere to international human rights standards, insisting that the use of force must be proportional and aimed at safeguarding human life.
“For its part, the Mission will remain very attentive and will investigate serious human rights violations occurring in the post-election context, in accordance with its mandate…this includes analyzing the forces and individuals responsible for such violations,” she said.
The Fact-Finding Mission also noted that the Attorney General announced the detention of 749 people in the context of the protests, adding that while some have been released, others remain detained. Among them, some face serious charges, such as terrorism.
“We are concerned about this new wave of persecution against leaders of opposition political parties,” said Patricia Tappatá Valdez, an expert of the Mission.
“We are witnessing the accelerated reactivation of the repressive machinery that was never dismantled and is now being used to undermine the public freedoms of citizens and their right to political participation and free expression of ideas.”
The Fact-Finding Mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 for a period of one year to assess alleged human rights violations committed since 2014. Its mandate has been extended until September 2024.
Comments are closed.