Human Rights Violations and Abuses in the Context of Protests in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1 April to 31 July 2017
Human rights violations and abuses in the context of protests in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1 April to 31 July 2017 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva, August 2017. Cover photo: An opposition protestor, draped in a flag, stands in front of military police in Caracas, 31 May 2017. Cover photo credit: © EPA/Miguel Gutiérrez Human rights violations and abuses in the context of protests in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1 April to 31 July 2017 Report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Executive summary On 6 June 2017, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) established a team to document and report on human rights violations in the context of mass protests in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela between 1 April and 31 July 2017. In the absence of authorization from the Government to enter the country, the OHCHR team conducted remote monitoring activities in the region that included 135 interviews with victims and their families, witnesses, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), journalists, lawyers, doctors, first responders and the Attorney- General’s Office. OHCHR received written information from the Ombudsperson’s Office and the Permanent Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations in Geneva. OHCHR’s findings detailed in this report point to an increasingly critical human rights situation since the protests began, with mounting levels of repression of political dissent by national security forces, and increasing stigmatization and persecution of people perceived as opposing the Government of President Maduro.
[Show full text]