A climate of fear currently pervades Venezuela, prompting calls for the government to adhere to international human rights laws with greater transparency and to pursue a peaceful resolution to ongoing disputes. This message was conveyed by Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), during a press conference in Geneva.
This alert reflects a series of warnings from the UN, independent human rights experts, and investigators assigned by the Human Rights Council regarding the violent suppression of dissent in the South American nation.
“Individuals are being detained for exercising their rights to political participation, freedom of expression, and assembly,” Shamdasani noted, referencing the recent call by authorities for the arrest of Edmundo Gonzalez, a candidate who lost to President Nicolas Maduro in the disputed July election.
Gonzalez’s campaign raised questions about the election results, which Maduro’s administration announced but lacked sufficient voting data to substantiate. Reports indicate that Gonzalez’s arrest stemmed from the release of polling data by his team that suggested he had won the election decisively. He faces multiple charges, including document forgery.
Despite not having an on-the-ground presence in Venezuela, the OHCHR continues to engage with Caracas authorities amid rising protests and online backlash following the election, which confirmed Maduro’s presidency. Shamdasani emphasized the necessity for all parties involved to address electoral controversies peacefully, advocating for the protection of human rights for all individuals, regardless of their political beliefs.
A report from the Human Rights Council-appointed Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela indicated that state authorities responded to election-related protests with severe repression, contributing to a widespread atmosphere of fear. The Mission recorded 23 fatalities, mainly due to gunfire, between July 28 and August 8, with the majority of the victims being men under 30 years old.
In a statement last month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted the troubling trend of arrests, noting that over 2,400 individuals have been detained since July 29, following the presidential elections. He expressed concern that many detained are being charged with inciting hatred or under counterterrorism laws, reiterating that criminal law should never be used to unduly constrain the rights to free expression, peaceful assembly, and association.