The United Nations Office for Human Rights regretted this Thursday the decision of the Venezuelan dictatorship to suspend the activities of its Mission in Caracas, and stressed that it is examining how to act accordingly.
“We regret this announcement and are evaluating the next steps,” office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a brief statement.
“We continue talking with the authorities and other actors. Our guiding principles have been and will continue to be the promotion and protection of the human rights of Venezuelans,” added the spokesperson for the office led by High Commissioner Volker Türk.
His predecessor in office, Chilean Michelle Bachelet, had signed an agreement in 2019 with the Nicolás Maduro regime to improve cooperation on human rights, allowing for the continued presence of UN human rights officers in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan dictatorship argued this Thursday that the United Nations office in the national capital has “instrumentalized” its work against the Executive, which has justified its suspension.
He also indicated that he will carry out a “comprehensive review of the terms of cooperation” agreed in 2019 with the United Nations body, and ordered the expulsion of 13 officials operating in Caracas.
Venezuela “requests that the personnel assigned to this office leave the country in the next 72 hours until they publicly rectify before the international community their colonialist, abusive and violating attitude of the United Nations charter,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil.
The minister explained that this decision responds to the “inappropriate role that this institution has developed,” acting with partiality and as the “private law firm of the coup plotters and terrorist groups that permanently conspire against the country.”
Since the signing of the letter of understanding in 2019, the office “has maintained a clearly biased and partial position, constantly seeking impunity for people involved in various assassination attempts, coups d’état, conspiracies and other serious attacks against sovereignty and the constitution,” the letter continues.
However, it reiterated its “willingness to continue cooperating with international mechanisms for the protection of human rights, always on the basis of genuine dialogue and in strict adherence to the principles of objectivity, non-selectivity, impartiality, respect for sovereignty and non-interference.” in internal affairs.
This decision comes a day after the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, assured that the Venezuelan regime prevented him from visiting detention centers and that the authorities constantly changed his agenda during his two-week visit. to the country, which concluded this Wednesday.
Likewise, on Wednesday the UN Mission expressed its “deep concern” over the arrest of Venezuelan activist Rocío San Miguel, a critic of Maduro and accused of “terrorism.”
“Venezuelan security forces detained Rocío San Miguel, president of the Citizen Control organization, when she was trying to board a flight with her daughter at the Simón Bolívar international airport. The Attorney General accused her of participating in an attempted conspiracy against President Nicolás Maduro and other senior officials, as well as of being involved in attacks against military units and other institutions throughout the country,” the Mission detailed.
The Mission expressed its concern about “a series of recent acts that contravene international law” and that include “arrests and threats of arrest of members of the National Primary Commission, as well as militants of the Vente Venezuela political party, winner of the elections.” opposition primaries, and the disqualification from holding public office of political leaders, including the opposition leader María Corina Machado.”
Before leaving office in August 2022, Bachelet said she saw progress on human rights in Venezuela, but that there was still “a lot to do.”
His successor, Volker Türk, visited Venezuela in January 2023, when it was agreed that the office would continue operating for two more years. During his stay he encouraged the authorities to release all those arbitrarily detained and insisted on taking measures to end torture.
The commissioner also met with various sectors of civil society, as well as government authorities, and addressed complaints about extrajudicial executions. He said however that there were restrictions on access to some detention centers in the country.
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