Venezuela: Decisive action by UN Human Rights Council supports victims and signals at perpetrators that the world is watching them

Today, the UN Human Rights Council took a decisive step to address the spiraling human rights crisis in Venezuela. The global human rights body adopted a resolution renewing, for a period of two years, the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM), in addition to the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor and report. In response to this decision, Americas director at Amnesty International, Ana Piquer, stated:

“We welcome the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission and the mandate for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for another two years. Amidst the relentless human rights crisis the people of Venezuela are enduring, the decision taken today by the Human Rights Council helps bring the attention of the world back to the suffering of victims and their rightful fight for justice.”

We welcome the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission and the mandate for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for another two years. Amidst the relentless human rights crisis the people of Venezuela are enduring, the decision taken today by the Human Rights Council helps bring the attention of the world back to the suffering of victims and their rightful fight for justice.

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

“This renewal comes off the heels of an unprecedented rise in politically motivated arbitrary detentions, including of children and people living with disabilities, unlawful killings, credible reports of torture, enforced disappearances, widespread attacks on civil society, and gross violations of fair trial guarantees. These crimes and violations are not new or isolated events, but rather align squarely with the FFM’s recent findings that there are ‘reasonable grounds to believe that the crime of persecution on political grounds has been committed’ in the past year. In this context, it is encouraging to see that the world took note of the human cost of exercising civil and political rights in Venezuela and ensured the Council sustains its scrutiny and commitment to accountability ahead of a new electoral period in 2025.”

“We hope that the OHCHR will provide protection to brave human rights defenders in the country who face ever-growing risks to their work and fundamental rights. Meanwhile, we look to the FFM as it continues to deliver its crucial investigations with the view of, one day, ensuring justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators. We trust that international justice mechanisms, including the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, will take note of the FFM’s findings and urgently expedite its investigations. As Nicolas Maduro’s government entrenches its policy of repression and persecution, the FFM’s work provides hope for thousands of victims and lets perpetrators know their actions are being documented and exposed to the world.”

We trust that international justice mechanisms, including the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, will take note of the FFM’s findings and urgently expedite its investigations. As Nicolas Maduro’s government entrenches its policy of repression and persecution, the FFM’s work provides hope for thousands of victims and lets perpetrators know their actions are being documented and exposed to the world.

Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

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