United Nations human rights investigators have called on Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro to end the “violent crackdown” by security forces following allegations of fraud in last month’s presidential election.
in statement A UN report on Venezuela, released two weeks after the July 28 vote, condemned Maduro’s “escalating” crackdown, which has led to the detention of more than 100 children and young people. UN investigators recorded 23 deaths, most of them gunshot wounds, and said almost all of them were young people.
“Street protests and social media criticism in the weeks since the election have been met with fierce state repression at the behest of the highest authorities, creating a widespread atmosphere of fear,” the group added, calling for a thorough investigation into “the ongoing series of serious human rights violations.”
Maduro, who claimed victory in recent elections despite compelling evidence that he was in fact soundly defeated by rival Edmundo Gonzalez, seems unlikely to heed the UN’s call.
Venezuela’s dictatorial leader on Monday ordered authorities to deal with “fascist” opponents with an “iron fist” and vowed to severely punish anyone who challenges the government. Maduro, who has ruled in an increasingly authoritarian style since winning elections in 2013, has refused to release detailed election data supporting his victory, despite requests from countries including Brazil and Colombia.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a driving force behind Gonzalez’s presidential campaign, has called for new anti-Maduro protests in cities around the world next Saturday.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, Machado called on the world to stand up to Maduro’s “campaign of terror.”
“What is happening in Venezuela is horrifying. At this very moment innocent people are being detained or disappeared,” the charismatic conservative said. Experts are describing the situation as the most serious political challenge Maduro’s Chavista movement has faced since it came to power 25 years ago with the election of founder Hugo Chavez.[Maduro’s government has] “They have decided that the only option to stay in power is to use violence, fear and terror against their people,” she added.
Amid growing international concern over human rights violations by the Maduro regime, a fact-finding mission set up by the UN Human Rights Council in 2019 said political leaders, activists, journalists and human rights defenders were among the more than 1,260 people detained in recent days. “However, the vast majority of those detained are simply individuals who have voiced opposition to the results of the presidential election announced by the authorities,” it added. “Many of these detentions occurred after individuals took part in protests or expressed their views on social media, and the authorities selectively targeted and detained them in their homes.”
UN investigators said they had also received “particularly worrying information” that more than 100 children and young people had been charged with extremely serious crimes, including terrorism, conspiracy and hate crimes, despite being very young. “These children were not accompanied by their parents or guardians during the judicial proceedings,” the statement said.
