On 24 January 2023, the Venezuelan National Assembly took its first step to approve a bill seeking to control, restrict, and potentially criminalise and close NGOs operating in Venezuela. If this bill passes, all Venezuelan NGOs will have to comply with abusive measures or face criminal prosecution. Measures include disclosing information on their funding, staff, and governance, and would violate the rights to association, privacy, and others, putting NGOs and their beneficiaries at grave risk of criminalisation and reprisals. We call on the National Assembly to immediately put a stop to this bill and cease all attacks on civil society.
