Overview

The continuing human rights crisis in Venezuela saw further reports of extrajudicial executions, excessive use of force and unlawful killings by the security forces during the year. People expressing criticism of government policies – including political activists, journalists and health workers – were subjected to repressive measures including criminalization, unfair trials and arbitrary detention. There were reports of torture and other ill-treatment and enforced disappearance of those arbitrarily detained. Human rights defenders were stigmatized and faced obstacles in carrying out their work. The humanitarian crisis worsened with widespread shortages of services and high levels of extreme poverty. These and the ongoing undermining of health service infrastructure were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. People returning to the country were held in state-run quarantine centres in conditions and for lengths of time that may have constituted arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. The UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela established there were reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Venezuela since 2014 and that President Maduro and senior military and ministerial figures ordered or contributed to the crimes documented in its report.

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