{"id":21031,"date":"2022-08-17T14:27:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T18:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/?p=21031"},"modified":"2024-10-24T11:44:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:44:11","slug":"venezuela-un-human-rights-council-should-renew-experts-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/2022\/08\/17\/venezuela-un-human-rights-council-should-renew-experts-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela: UN Human Rights Council Should Renew Experts\u2019 Mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of its Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, 125 national and international organizations working on\u00a0Venezuela<\/a>\u00a0said today. The Mission, established in 2019 to investigate systematic human rights violations in Venezuela, has played a key role in pushing for accountability for serious crimes in the country and ensuring international scrutiny over the ongoing crisis, the groups said in a\u00a0joint question-and-answer document<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Mission\u2019s experts are scheduled to present their third report at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council, from September 12 to October 7, 2022. A resolution is needed to extend the mission\u2019s mandate beyond September. In the past, a group of Latin American countries led this initiative and presented a text establishing the Mission\u2019s mandate for adoption. If a vote is called, a simple majority of voting members is needed to adopt the text.<\/p>\n

Latin American governments should once again lead this effort for accountability and ongoing monitoring and urge all UN member states to support the renewal of the mandate, the groups said. The groups will hold a news conference about this key issue on August 17 at 10 a.m. Caracas time.<\/p>\n

The Human Rights Council\u00a0established<\/a>\u00a0the Mission in 2019 to investigate \u201cextrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment since 2014,\u201d including sexual and gender-based violence, with a view to \u201censuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>In 2020, the mission\u2019s initial one-year mandate\u00a0was extended\u00a0<\/a>for another two years, until September 2022.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the mission\u00a0concluded\u00a0<\/a>that there were sufficient grounds to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed in Venezuela, that \u201chigh-level authorities had knowledge of those crimes\u201d, and that \u201ccommanders and superiors knew or should have known about those crimes and \u2026 did not take measures to prevent or repress them.\u201d A year later, in its second report, the Mission\u00a0documented\u00a0<\/a>the country\u2019s lack of judicial independence and impunity for human rights violations, and reported that Venezuela\u2019s justice system served as a mechanism of repression instead of a guarantor of rights, emboldening state agents to continue carrying out abuses.<\/p>\n

The failure of the Venezuelan authorities to implement the Mission\u2019s recommendations and the structural conditions that prompted the creation of the Mission remain, including impunity, lack of domestic avenues for redress for victims of abuses, and the government\u2019s continued attempts to evade international scrutiny, the groups said. In the face of a Venezuelan government that does not seriously respond to the recommendations, the Mission has advanced the search for truth, justice, and reparation for victims and survivors of human rights violations. It has also outlined the fundamental reforms needed to prevent further violations and abuses.<\/p>\n

Renewing the mandate would allow experts to continue gathering evidence of serious, ongoing human rights violations, report on current dynamics in the country, and provide recommendations for necessary action.<\/p>\n

Presidential elections are scheduled for 2024, and legislative and regional elections are set to take place in 2025. Government repression has peaked during past election periods. The Mission can perform a crucial early warning role that may help to deter such abuses, the groups said.<\/p>\n

The question-and-answer document explains how the Fact-Finding Mission complements and supports the role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and that of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. It also emphasizes that the Mission can help to strengthen political dialogue, helping to ensure that any discussions include a human rights approach that contributes to improving the situation in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan authorities are undertaking a strategy of apparent, but not genuine, engagement with the Human Rights Council and its procedures, as they did in 2019 and 2020. However, during her oral update in July 2022, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet\u00a0reported\u00a0<\/a>that while crimes under international law continue being committed, her team is no longer granted access to two Venezuelan detention centers, Helicoide and Boleita, and military detention centers, where detainees are being arbitrarily detained for political reasons.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan authorities have also\u00a0failed to implement recommendations\u00a0<\/a>by various human rights mechanisms. Justice system reforms recently announced by Venezuelan authorities have not meaningfully addressed the serious damage done to judicial independence, and do not ensure full and effective investigations of human rights violations, the groups said.<\/p>\n

List of Signatories:<\/strong><\/p>\n

AC Conciencia Ciudadana<\/p>\n

AC Instituto Mead de Venezuela<\/p>\n

AC Liderazgo y Vision<\/p>\n

AC Los Naguaritos<\/p>\n

AC M\u00e9dicos Unidos de Venezuela<\/p>\n

AC Trabajando Sin Frontera<\/p>\n

Acceso a la Justicia<\/p>\n

Acci\u00f3n En Positivo<\/p>\n

Acci\u00f3n Solidaria<\/p>\n

AlertaVenezuela<\/p>\n

Alianza de Familiares de V\u00edctimas en Venezuela (AlfavicVzla)<\/p>\n

Amnesty International<\/p>\n

Asociaci\u00f3n Cauce<\/p>\n

Asociaci\u00f3n de Liderazgo para la Mujer (ALMA)<\/p>\n

Asociaci\u00f3n Mujeres Sin Fronteras<\/p>\n

Asociacion Venezolana para la Hemofilia<\/p>\n

Asosaber<\/p>\n

Aula Abierta<\/p>\n

Bandesir Lara<\/p>\n

CADAL<\/p>\n

Caleidoscopio Humano<\/p>\n

Caminos de la Memoria<\/p>\n

C\u00e1tedra de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centrooccidental Lisandro Alvarado<\/p>\n

Center for Intercultural Dialogue (North Macedonia)<\/p>\n

Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR-Centre)<\/p>\n

Centro de Atenci\u00f3n Integral Psicopedagogica Individual (CAIPI)<\/p>\n

Centro de Atenci\u00f3n Psicosocial CAPS<\/p>\n

Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Metropolitana (CDH-UNIMET)<\/p>\n

Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Social, Formaci\u00f3n y Estudios de la Mujer (CISFEM)<\/p>\n

Centro de Justicia y Paz \/ Cepaz<\/p>\n

Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ)<\/p>\n

Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)<\/p>\n

Children Believe<\/p>\n

Ciudadan\u00eda Con Compromiso AC<\/p>\n

Civil Rights Defenders<\/p>\n

Civilis Derechos Humanos<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n de Derechos Humanos de Pucallpa<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n de Derechos Humanos\/COMISEDH<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n Ecum\u00e9nica de Derechos Humanos<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n Episcopal de Acci\u00f3n Social \u2013 Peru<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n Internacional de Juristas (CIJ)<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n Nacional de Derechos Humanos de la Federaci\u00f3n de Colegios de Abogados de Venezuela del estado Lara<\/p>\n

Comisi\u00f3n ULA Mujer<\/p>\n

Comit\u00e9 de DDHH para la defensa de pensionados, jubilados, adultos mayores y personas con discapacidad<\/p>\n

Comunidad en Movimiento AC<\/p>\n

Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional<\/p>\n

Coordinadora de Lucha Vecinal Lara<\/p>\n

Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos<\/p>\n

DefensActiva<\/p>\n

Defiende Venezuela<\/p>\n

Diverlex Diversidad e Igualdad a Trav\u00e9s de la Ley<\/p>\n

Doria Esther Benaim<\/p>\n

Due Process of Law Foundation\/Fundaci\u00f3n para el Debido Proceso (DPLF)<\/p>\n

Entretejidas<\/p>\n

Epikeia Derechos Humanos<\/p>\n

Espacio P\u00fablico<\/p>\n

Foro Penal<\/p>\n

Freedom House<\/p>\n

Funcamama, fundaci\u00f3n de lucha contra el c\u00e1ncer<\/p>\n

Fundacion Aguaclara<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Aylwin Chile firma<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Ciudadan\u00eda y Desarrollo<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Construir<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Eum\u00e9nica para el desarrollo y la paz (FEDEPAZ)<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Iribarren Lucha<\/p>\n

Fundaci\u00f3n Lucelia<\/p>\n

Fundacion Prodefensa del Derecho a la Educaci\u00f3n y la Ni\u00f1ez<\/p>\n

FundaRedes<\/p>\n

FUNDEMUL Venezuela<\/p>\n

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect<\/p>\n

Gobi\u00e9rnaTec<\/p>\n

Hearts On Venezuela<\/p>\n

Hombres por la equidad e igualdad<\/p>\n

Human Rights Watch<\/p>\n

Iniciativa para Una Justicia Igualitaria ONG<\/p>\n

Instituto de Prensa y Libertad de Expresi\u00f3n IPLEX<\/p>\n

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad IPYS (Per\u00fa)<\/p>\n

Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Pol\u00edticos -INVESP<\/p>\n

International Center for Transitional Justice<\/p>\n

International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)<\/p>\n

Justicia Encuentro y Perd\u00f3n<\/p>\n

KISTH<\/p>\n

Laboratorio de Paz<\/p>\n

Maria Antonieta Torres Ferrer<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Teresa S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n

Monitor de V\u00edctimas<\/p>\n

Movimiento Manuela Ramos<\/p>\n

Movimiento Ciudadano Dale letra<\/p>\n

Movimiento Decode<\/p>\n

Movimiento San Isidro (MSI)<\/p>\n

Mulier<\/p>\n

Observatorio de Derechos Humanos Universidad de Los Andes<\/p>\n

Observatorio Global de Comunicacion y Democracia<\/p>\n

Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones<\/p>\n

ODEVIDA, Cap\u00edtulo Venezuela<\/p>\n

Ong Hombres por la equidad e igualdad<\/p>\n

Operaci\u00f3n libertad internacional<\/p>\n

Pacientes Oncolog\u00edcos<\/p>\n

Panamerican and Caribbean Union for Humans Rights PACUHR<\/p>\n

Paz y Esperanza<\/p>\n

People in Need<\/p>\n

Prepara Familia<\/p>\n

PROMEDEHUM<\/p>\n

Provea<\/p>\n

Proyecta Ciudadan\u00eda AC<\/p>\n

Race & Equality (Raza e Igualdad)<\/p>\n

Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos<\/p>\n

Red naranja Venezuela<\/p>\n

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights<\/p>\n

Rosibel Torres<\/p>\n

Sinergia, Red venezolana de organizaciones de la sociedad civil<\/p>\n

SOS Pacientes Renales<\/p>\n

The Kota Alliance<\/p>\n

Transparencia Venezuela<\/p>\n

Una Ventana a la Libertad<\/p>\n

UNFPA<\/p>\n

Uni\u00f3n Afirmativa<\/p>\n

Uni\u00f3n Vecinal para la Participaci\u00f3n Ciudadana AC<\/p>\n

Veneactiva Per\u00fa<\/p>\n

Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)<\/p>\n

Women Riots<\/p>\n

Women’s Link Worldwide<\/p>\n

WUNRN-Women’s UN Report Network<\/p>\n

100 voces<\/p>\n

100% Estr\u00f3geno ONG<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandate of its Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, 125 national and international organizations working on\u00a0Venezuela\u00a0said today. The Mission, established in 2019 to investigate systematic human rights violations in Venezuela, has played a key role in pushing for accountability for serious crimes in the country and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[681],"tags":[],"country":[888,897],"issue":[854],"program":[871,873],"resource":[896],"class_list":["post-21031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","country-america-del-sur","country-venezuela","issue-international-crimes","program-corruption-and-human-rights","program-transitional-justice-and-fight-against-impunity","resource-press-releases"],"acf":{"boton_1":"Dowload press note in PDF here","url_boton_1\u00ba":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/venezuela_ffm_presser_12513.pdf","boton_2":"Download joint question-and-answer document here","url_boton_2":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/final_qa_ffm_renewal_of_the_mandate76.pdf","boton_3":"","url_boton_3":"","boton_4":"","url_boton_4":"","boton_5":"","url_boton_5":"","boton_6":"","url_boton_6":"","boton_7":"","url_boton_7":"","boton_8":"","url_boton_8":"","boton_9":"","url_boton_9":"","boton_10":"","url_boton_10":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21031"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21031"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22954,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21031\/revisions\/22954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21031"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=21031"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=21031"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=21031"},{"taxonomy":"resource","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dplf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource?post=21031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}