[News] Venezuelan Government Slams ‘Biased’ UN Human Rights Report

Mon Jul 8 11:06:10 EDT 2019

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14575

  Venezuelan Government Slams ‘Biased’ UN Human Rights Report

By Ricardo Vaz
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caracas, July 7, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14453>) – The Venezuelan government 
has disputed the findings of a report released by the United Nations 
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Having seen the report in advance of its publication, Caracas issued a 
70-point statement 
<http://mppre.gob.ve/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Bolivarian-Government-of-Venezuela-presents-70-observations-on-the-report-of-the-UN-High-Commissioner-for-Human-Rights.pdf> 
pointing towards what Venezuelan authorities term a “selective and 
openly biased” view of the human rights situation in the Caribbean country.

“The distorted view of the report is a result of the significant 
shortcomings in the methodology behind it,” the statement reads. One of 
the main points of contention is that out of the 558 interviews carried 
out, 460 of them involved people not currently in Venezuela.

The government went on to criticize the fact that the report downplays 
the consequences of US sanctions against Venezuela and ignores research 
on the subject, including a recent study published by Washington 
DC-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) which estimated 
that 40,000 people <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14446> have died 
since 2017 as a result of US coercive measures.

The US Treasury Department has levied successive rounds of sanctions 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14555> against various sectors of 
the Venezuelan economy, as well as freezing Venezuelan assets held 
abroad. The oil industry has been particularly hit, with an embargo 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14268> put in place in January that 
blocks Venezuela from exporting crude to the US as well as from 
importing <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14527> diluents needed to 
produce fuel and refine heavy crude into exportable grades.

Sanctions have drastically reduced imports by shrinking the government’s 
foreign currency revenue, while also limiting access to financial 
markets and placing obstacles to commercial transactions. According to 
Torino Capital Chief Economist Francisco Rodriguez, imports fell to just 
US $303 million in April, marking a 64 percent decline from last year’s 
average and a 93.2 percent drop relative to 2012.

Despite recognizing that US sanctions “are exacerbating the economic 
crisis,” the report contains no recommendation for the measures to be 
lifted.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet presented 
thereport 
<https://ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session41/Documents/A_HRC_41_18.docx> 
to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday. The text argues that 
Venezuelan special forces FAES and forensic police body CICPC have been 
“responsible for numerous extrajudicial executions,” and other practices 
meant to “instil fear and maintain social control.”

The OHCHR’s report additionally points the finger at corruption and the 
deterioration of public services, as well as difficulties in the 
population’s access to food and healthcare, while also expressing 
“concern” that Venezuelan migration will continue to grow.

The UN Human Rights body ends with a series of recommendations, 
including calling on the government to investigate serious human rights 
violations, dissolve the FAES, and allow a permanent OHCHR country 
office to be established.

The report came on the heels of the death 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14563> of retired navy officer Rafael 
Acosta in state custody on June 29, with the Venezuelan opposition 
claiming he died as a result of torture. Two National Guard officers 
have been arrested and charged with manslaughter. Acosta had been 
arrested for his alleged involvement in a coup plot 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14560> that included the 
assassination of President Maduro and other high-ranking figures.

Former Chilean President Bachelet recently made a historic three-day 
visit <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14554> to Caracas, in which she 
held meetings with government and opposition officials, as well as human 
rights NGOs and activist groups.

Some of the organizations which met with Bachelet, such as Fundalatin or 
the Committee of Guarimba Victims representing victims of violent street 
protests staged by the opposition in 2014 and 2017, expressed their 
disappointment that their voices were not included in the report.

“Bachelet’s report makes the victims invisible and protects those 
responsible for the violence that has caused the country so much 
damage,” the Committeesaid 
<https://twitter.com/VictimaGuarimba/status/1146921981666832389> on Twitter.

UN Independent Expert Alfred de Zayas likewisecriticized 
<https://dezayasalfred.wordpress.com/2019/07/05/un-report-on-venezuela/> 
the OHCHR’s report, calling it “fundamentally flawed and disappointing” 
and a “missed opportunity.”

“It is unprofessional for the UN staff to ignore or not give appropriate 
weight to the submissions by [human rights organizations] Fundalatin, 
Grupo Sures, the Red Nacional de Derechos Humanos, and the specific 
answers provided by the government,” de Zayas wrote in personal blog, 
while also lamenting the scarce attention paid to sanctions in the report.

The UN High Commissioners’ Office likewise announced on Friday that 22 
people had been released from prison upon request by Bachelet. The list 
includes journalist and businessman Braulio Jatar and former judge Maria 
Afiuni. Venezuela’s Supreme Court confirmed the release of Jatar and 
Afiuni, while offering no information on the other 20 cases, 
whileReuters 
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-un-prisoners/venezuela-frees-judge-journalist-20-students-u-n-idUSKCN1U016V> 
describes them as “students.”

Jatar <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/12528> had been arrested in 
2016 on charges of money laundering and extortion, whereasAfiuni 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/6338> was indicted on corruption 
charges in 2009 after she ordered the release of businessmanEligio 
Cedeno <https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11958>. Cedeno had several 
corruption charges against him and subsequently fled the country. Afiuni 
had been handed a five year sentence in March.

/Edited by Lucas Koerner from Caracas./

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