Overview

Lack of access to economic and social rights remained a serious concern, with the majority of the population experiencing severe food insecurity. The public health system was in a state of collapse. The government failed to implement humanitarian measures agreed in 2022 to address these issues. Protests demanding economic and social rights were met with unlawful force and other repressive measures by security forces. Critics of President Maduro’s government were arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared and tortured with the acquiescence of the judicial system. The government acknowledged 455 cases of enforced disappearance reported since 2015, the majority of which had not been resolved. Impunity for ongoing extrajudicial executions by the security forces persisted. Despite some releases at the end of the year, politically motivated arbitrary detentions remained systematic. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela exposed crimes against humanity, called for investigations into the state’s repressive policies, and noted a lack of compliance with previous recommendations. The ICC continued its investigation into crimes against humanity in Venezuela despite the government’s attempts to suspend the process. Prison conditions, including a lack of access to water and food, deteriorated further. Illegal mining and violence threatened Indigenous Peoples’ rights in the Orinoco Mining Arc area. Huge numbers of Venezuelans continued to flee the country and those deported back to the country faced arbitrary arrest. Access to sexual and reproductive health services was severely compromised and abortion remained criminalized. Violence against women and girls persisted and LGBTI people continued to face discrimination.