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In Venezuela it is government policy to torture dissents, the UN mission of experts on Venezuela told the world two years ago. These violations, amounting to likely crimes against humanity, continue. In their latest report the experts dive deeper into the nature of the crimes, who the victims are and names perpetrators. This morning this report goes before the Human Rights Council.
Eleven States vying for seats at the UN Human Rights Council for 2023-2025 joined ISHR and Amnesty International’s annual pledging event, outlining their commitments to advancing the human rights agenda and fielding questions from civil society.
In 2019, a group of largely Latin American states led a successful bid for the United Nations to establish an independent investigative mechanism on Venezuela in response to the human rights crisis in the country. During these years, the Mission has been a key mechanism in a system of complementary international bodies providing a vision of the change needed to eradicate impunity and prevent further systemic human rights violations. Now, a few weeks off the expiration of the Mission’s mandate, States in the region must again take leadership of a process to ensure its preventative work continues in particular with the uncertainty of a Presidential electoral period looming.
Over 125 Venezuelean and international organisations expressed their concern about the continuing human rights violations in Venezuela and called on the UN Human Rights Council to renew the Fact Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela at its upcoming September session.
National and international organisations sent a letter to the new Colombian government with three recommendations to prevent crimes and improve the security of human rights defenders.
ISHR, along with multiple other NGOs, released a joint statement condemning the criminalisation of women human rights defender Milena Quiroz and calling for her right to a fair trial and her right to defend human rights to be guaranteed.
In a rare and unwelcome move, Nicaragua has escaped scrutiny from four UN human rights bodies, most recently with the Committee against Torture (CAT) and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Adding insult to injury, the Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote an offensive letter to the Committee.
Nicaragua is once again a key topic of concern on the agenda of the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The newly-appointed ‘Group of Experts’ created by the Council in March begins its investigation of serious human rights violations in the country, as international condemnation remains strong.
The UN must continue its multi-pronged approach on Venezuela, civil society organisations and States urged during a week that saw a review of the implementation of recommendations made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to Venezuela and the adoption of the Universal Periodic Review's Third Cycle report on the country.
This week sees closing arguments presented in a case that offers a historic opportunity for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to rule on attacks, illegal surveillance and the use of technology against human rights defenders.
ISHR and RFK call on the Superior Court of Justice of Lima, Peru, to ensure the mining company ‘Yanococha’ is held accountable for violating the human rights of Elmer Campos and other defenders, attacked during a protest.
Civil society groups are united in rejecting the bill that seeks to limit NGOs’ ability to access resources including foreign funding.
