Venezuela: Government discourages and stifles opposition
Attacks on civic and democratic space in Venezuela are intensifying through state policies that seek to silence opposition or criticism of the government of President Nicolás Maduro, said the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in its latest report presented today.
Over the past year, the Mission investigated allegations of human rights violations reported between January 2020 and August 2023, and concluded that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that at least five arbitrary deprivations of life, 14 short-term enforced disappearances, 28 cases of torture and 58 arbitrary detentions were committed.
However, these cases represented "a quantitative decrease" compared to previous periods.
Repressive state apparatus
But the Mission asserts that the repressive structure of the state has not been dismantled, and "the government has recently intensified its efforts to reduce civic and democratic space, curtailing individual and collective freedoms and extending its control over the work of human rights defenders, civil society organisations, trade unions, the media and political parties.
"Serious human rights violations continue to be committed in Venezuela. Recently, these incidents have been carried out more selectively against certain individuals in civil society, such as trade union leaders, journalists and human rights defenders," said Marta Valiñas, President of the Mission.
In one case, a group of six trade unionists were sentenced on 1 August 2023 to 16 years in prison "for the sole reason of demanding labour improvements, after having been arbitrarily detained and having suffered ill-treatment in detention for more than a year".
Constant threats, surveillance and harassment, along with defamation and censorship, have been used by the state to silence, discourage and stifle real or perceived opposition, the Mission says.
Stifling political debate
"By criminalising participation in legitimate activities, the state silences and creates a chilling effect on anyone who might consider engaging in any action that could be perceived as critical of the government," said Patricia Tappatá Valdez, an expert with the Mission.
Tappatá added that "the lack of independence, and also the deliberate actions of judicial and constitutional institutions, such as the Comptroller's Office and the Electoral Council, restrict the movements of social leaders and political leaders. The whole dynamic stifles and suppresses debate and political life".
In this context, Marta Valiñas stated that "the mechanisms of repression continue to exist, which makes international vigilance to the enforcement of human rights more crucial than ever in Venezuela."
Background: In September 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Council established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (IIMVR) through resolution 42/25, to investigate gross human rights violations committed since 2014.
The Mission will present an oral report to the Human Rights Council in March 2023 with an update on its investigations, and will present its report in September 2023 at an interactive dialogue session of the Council.
