The United Nations expressed profound worry on Tuesday regarding the climate of fear in Venezuela, citing the disputed presidential election results. UN human rights chief Volker Turk expressed his unease over the high and ongoing number of arbitrary detentions and the excessive use of force.
Turk emphasized in a statement that it is particularly concerning that numerous individuals are being detained, accused, or charged with incitement to hatred or under counterterrorism laws. He stressed that criminal law should never be used to excessively restrict the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro called for the state to employ an "iron fist" following deadly protests triggered by his re-election, which was widely regarded as fraudulent both domestically and internationally. As the official death toll from the protests climbed to 25, Maduro demanded "severe justice" for the violence he attributes to the opposition, which claims that its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the July 28 election decisively.
The UN human rights office reported that over 2,400 people have been arrested since July 29, according to official statements. This figure includes the arbitrary detention of protesters, human rights defenders, adolescents, individuals with disabilities, opposition members, or those perceived to be associated with them, as well as electoral observers accredited by opposition parties at polling stations, according to Turk's office.
Some of these cases could constitute enforced disappearances, it was added. Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained individuals and for fair trial guarantees for all detainees. He also urged that the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials and the attacks on demonstrators by armed government supporters, some of which resulted in deaths, must not be repeated.
