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Ahead of the upcoming presidential inauguration, ISHR joins other international organisations calling for the end of repression and the respect of popular sovereignty in Venezuela.
We, the undersigned international organisations, reiterate our deep concern about the human rights situation in Venezuela, particularly in the context of the upcoming presidential inauguration, scheduled for 10 January 2025, as established by the Venezuelan Constitution.
The 28 July 2024 elections were marked by serious irregularities. The National Electoral Council did not publish detailed results nor did it carry out the audits required by law; decisions that were endorsed by the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, whose lack of independence and impartiality is widely documented. Given Nicolás Maduro’s intention to assume a new term in office without clear evidence to support his election, democratic leaders have called for demonstrations on 9 January to demand transparency and respect for the civil and political rights of the population.
In this context, we denounce the alarming toll of continuous and systematic State repression: more than 2,000 people were arbitrarily detained after the post-electoral protests and, as of 30 December 2024, 1,794 remained deprived of their liberty, including three minors. According to the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, there are 120 foreign nationals in detention. The authorities have continued to use a pattern of short term forced disappearance, refusing to provide information on the person’s whereabouts for several days after their detention. Additionally, the undersigned organisations are aware of at least 31 individuals who remain missing, after weeks and even months of their presumed detention.
Three people have died in State custody, and cases of torture and murder still lack justice. In addition, those who have been released from prison are now facing criminal proceedings, which constitutes a clear violation of their fundamental rights.
We urge the Venezuelan State to comply with its international obligations to:
We also call on the authorities to prevent further abuses and ensure full respect for the rights of the entire population.
We call on the international community and human rights organisations to closely monitor the situation in Venezuela and to employ available diplomatic means to demand an end to the repression and to seek peaceful mechanisms that uphold popular sovereignty. It is of the utmost importance that these new developments do not result in further suffering for the Venezuelan people.
Signatures:
On 5 and 6 May 2025, during its 83rd Ordinary Session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) held the second joint forum of its special mechanisms. This serves as an opportunity to bring actors from various backgrounds to discuss the possibility of converging human rights and sustainable development for the benefit of Africans.
At the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, held in Banjul (The Gambia) from 2 May to 22 May, ISHR delivered an oral statement calling for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the continuation of the process toward a human rights defenders protection law in Zambia, reparations for Africans and people of African descent, and a binding treaty on environmental rights in Africa.
On 3 May 2025, on the sidelines of the 83rd ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ISHR co-sponsored a side event on the situation of human rights defenders in the Sahel, organised by the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organisation against Torture.
