Venezuelan authorities have continued to carry out widespread political persecution and grave human rights violations following the 2024 presidential elections, according to a United Nations fact-finding mission report released Monday. The report documents ongoing abuses into 2025, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and lethal force against protesters.
Investigators presented evidence of 25 protest-related deaths on July 29–30, 2024, including 12 allegedly caused by state security forces. In Maracay, national guard and army units reportedly fired live ammunition into crowds, resulting in civilian casualties. The deaths of five detainees were also examined, with the UN concluding that Venezuelan authorities failed to meet basic obligations regarding detainee health—contradicting official claims of non-involvement.
The report highlights systemic repression across the political spectrum. Of the 2,220 individuals detained after the elections, only 2,006 have been gradually released, while approximately 200 more have been arrested for perceived opposition activity. Foreign nationals were among those held incommunicado, and minors aged 13 to 17 were reportedly subjected to mistreatment and sexual abuse in detention.
In November 2024, President Nicolás Maduro’s government enacted two laws that further restrict civil society. The Simón Bolívar Law allows for the revocation of civil rights from opposition figures, effectively imposing “civil death,” while the NGO Financing Law bans foreign-funded organizations—drawing comparisons to similar legislation in Russia and Georgia.
With domestic accountability mechanisms largely absent, the UN report concludes that the international community remains the last recourse for victims seeking justice.
Excerpts from jurist.org article by Juri Berger | Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, CH
