Yesterday, the U.S. State Department stated that:
“The United States remains deeply concerned by the gross human rights abuses and violations detailed in the UN Human Rights report. This report on Venezuela illustrates the depth of the despair and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. It confirms that Nicolás Maduro and his thugs are committing gross violations of the human rights of the Venezuelan people and depriving them of their basic rights and freedoms through systemic repression, torture, and intimidation.
“One of the most unsettling statistics is that the former Maduro regime’s Special Action Forces killed at least 5,287 people in 2018 and, at minimum, another 1,569 by mid-May, 2019.
“This report follows the alleged torture and killing of Capitán de Corbeta Rafael Acosta Arévalo, a Venezuelan Naval Officer, who died while in the custody of Maduro’s thugs and their Cuban minders. We renew our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
“No dictatorship lasts forever. Venezuela will soon be free, and those responsible for abuses and violations of human rights in Venezuela will be held accountable. The international community should condemn the illegitimate Maduro regime and stand together to fight against its willful disregard for human rights and impunity.
“We appeal to the countries that have not yet formally recognized Interim President Guaido to do so as soon as possible, and withdraw any lingering support for the former Maduro regime’s de facto hold on power.”
July 5 was Venezuela’s national day. The State Department sent greetings to Juan Guaido, whom Washington considers the legitimate interim president. Maduro, of course, disagrees and clings to power, supported to some extent by foreign militaries. Washington’s greetings to Guaido noted:
“Once again, the Venezuelan people are besieged by dictatorship, undesired foreign presence, and profiteers. As in the time of Bolivar, Venezuela’s path to democracy is not easy, but you inspire the world with the strength of your voices and tremendous courage. We are with you in your struggle to reclaim your democratic self-governance and free it from those who have betrayed, oppressed, and robbed the Venezuelan people of the wealth of your great nation. The United States is unwavering in our commitment to realizing the restoration of your democratic future and the establishment of a government chosen by the Venezuelan people through free and fair elections. You will have our support until then — and beyond as your recovery begins.”
A U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report issued on July 5 https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/07/1041902 disclosed that 66 deaths occurred during protests between January and May 2019, of which 52 were attributable to Government security forces, or pro-Government armed civilian groups known as “colectivos.” OHCHR maintains that, as of 31 May 2019, 793 people remained in arbitrary detention, including 58 women.
“They contributed to the deteriorating situation by exercising social control and helping repress demonstrations,” the OHCHR report says of the paramilitary groups.
Allegations of extrajudicial killings by security forces have been “shockingly high”, the report continues, citing the involvement of Government so-called Special Action Forces (FAES).
In 2018, the Government registered 5,287 killings, purportedly for “resistance to authority” during operations, the report continues, adding that between 1 January and 19 May this year, another 1,569 people were killed, according to Government figures.
The report also noted that, so far this year, 22 deputies of the National Assembly have been stripped of their parliamentary immunity, as well as to the forum’s leader, Mr. Guaido.
The U.N. also found that:
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On the plight of ordinary Venezuelans, OHCHR insists that “large sections of the population have no access to food distribution.”
Women are particularly hard-hit, it continues, amid a “progressive scarcity and unaffordability of food” and reports that some are “spending an average of 10 hours per day queuing for food”.
Health provision is also described as “dire, with hospitals lacking staff, supplies, medicines and electricity to keep vital machinery running”.
Between November 2018 and February 2019, 1,557 people died because of lack of supplies in hospitals, the report notes, citing a national hospital survey.
Minorities lost land to military, armed groups
Indigenous peoples are also shown to have been disproportionately impacted, amid a loss of control of their land to military forces, organised criminal gangs and armed groups.
“Mining, particularly in Amazonas and Bolivar…has resulted in violations of various collective rights, including rights to maintain customs, traditional ways of life, and a spiritual relationship with their land,” the report adds.
Despite the many violations detailed within her report, the UN human rights chief declared that she was “hopeful”, that the access she had been granted during her trip, as well as the willingness of the Venezuelan authorities to accept the presence of two human rights officers on the ground, marked the beginning of “positive engagement” on the country’s many human rights issues.
The situation is complex, she said, but “the report contains clear, concrete recommendations for the way forward. I sincerely hope the authorities will take these recommendations in the constructive spirit in which they are made.”
in response to the High Commissioner’s comments, the Venezuelan representative to the Human Rights council dismissed her Office’s report, calling its contents “incomprehensible”, lacking in “scientific rigour” and omitting to mention the “immoral blockade” facing the country.
DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.
Illustration: Pixabay