A report by the United Nations (UN), released this Tuesday 15th, warns of “increasing violations and crimes committed by the government” of Venezuela – before, during and after the presidential elections last July.
The 180-page document, prepared by an independent United Nations mission in Venezuelan territory, states that there is “arbitrary detentions, torture, short-term enforced disappearances and sexual violence”, all “as part of a coordinated plan to silence critics and alleged opponents”.
Last week, the entity’s Human Rights Council renewed for another two years the mandate of the mission that investigates alleged crimes committed by the government Nicolas Maduro. Brazil abstained from the vote, arguing that approval could contribute to an even greater isolation of the Venezuelan president.
According to the UN mission, this year’s election in Venezuela showed an “unprecedented” level of political violence by the government. “Among the victims are children and people with disabilities”, denounces the document.
“From October 2023, in the context of an election year, the State began to reactivate the repression mechanism to carry out actions aimed at dismantling and demobilizing the organized political opposition”, summarizes the report.
The Maduro government has not yet commented on the UN team document. The president has been defending himself from the criticism he has suffered since the presidential election, when he lost the support he had in the international community, under accusations of having rigged the poll results.
Just under two months ago, the NGO Foro Penal, which deals with the issue in the neighboring country, stated that Venezuela had almost two thousand political prisoners – the highest number of the century – and that the situation was getting worse.
It was at risk of arrest, for example, that Maduro’s opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, fled to Spain. He received asylum in the European country due to an arrest warrant issued against him, which alleges that the election was rigged.
