© UN Photo/Loey Felipe
The Human Rights Council renewed the mandates of its Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela and of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor human rights in the country, at a time when global scrutiny is more needed than ever to ensure reforms respect and protect human rights.
The resolution was adopted 6 October with 25 votes in favour, 5 against and 17 abstentions, successfully renewing both mandates under their original conditions and for a further two years.
The Council's renewal of these mandates shows that the human rights situation in Venezuela remains of grave concern, not only for this UN body but also for UN Member States. The human rights movement is well aware that the repressive apparatus remains intact and that no genuine steps have been taken to investigate and prosecute those responsible for serious human rights violations or to guarantee the rights of victims. It is essential to keep the situation in Venezuela on the international agenda to ensure a genuine transition to democracy and the prompt initiation of the transitional justice processes necessary for the country's reconstruction.Calixto Ávila, Venezuelan human rights defender, Provea's Europe representative
Speaking on behalf of the resolution’s main sponsors, Chile’s representative said the resolution recognised the recent changes in Venezuela were ‘partial, conditional and reversible’, and that a renewed mandate for UN mechanisms was needed to support victims of human rights violations. Japan and Estonia also took the floor to support the resolution, with the latter expressing concern for the continued repression of political actors and human rights defenders.
Cuba and China spoke to oppose the text, both equating to ‘interference’. The Chinese delegation called for a vote. For their part, Venezuela’s representatives ‘took note’ of the resolution.
The final vote also showed a growing concern across regions, with two additional African States – Mauritius and Côte d’Ivoire – supporting the renewal.
In 2019, the Human Rights Council established the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela to assess alleged human rights violations committed in the country since 2014. The mechanism is the only independent United Nations monitoring body with the mandate to investigate systematic violations and human rights abuses, and ensure accountability for perpetrators in Venezuela.
The resolution also extended for a further two years the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to provide technical assistance, monitor the human rights situation in the country and to prevent further violations.
Both the FFM and the OHCHR mandates play distinctive yet complementary roles in documenting abuses in Venezuela and informing the international community, providing early warnings of renewed repression and maintaining pressure necessary to incentivise change.
Alongside Venezuela and international civil society organisations, ISHR campaigned for this renewal.
The resolution comes nine months after an unlawful military intervention by the United States removed Nicolás Maduro from power, prompting civil society to outline ten urgent demands for a genuine democratic transition and meaningful human rights change.
Yet, in its September report to the Human Rights Council, the FFM found that the country’s ‘repressive apparatus remains intact’ despite ‘limited improvements’, with ‘institutions responsible for repression, gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity’ largely untouched.
'You cannot expect the illegal toppling of a leader, even one that brutally trampled human rights, to suddenly and immediately restore citizen’s basic rights and end decades-old structures of oppression. With the extension of the Fact-Finding Mission and the OHCHR mandates, the Council maintains two vital instruments to support Venezuelans that are working towards accountability and a democratic transition.'Raphaël Viana David, Senior Advocacy Manager for ISHR
ISHR calls on all UN Member States to support the FFM and OHCHR mandates on Venezuela and to push for their full, safe and independent access to Venezuelan territory.
At the Human Rights Council’s 63rd session (HRC63), Hong Kong human rights defenders Carmen Lau and Anna Kwok brought their testimony of transnational repression before the Council, as States renewed scrutiny of China’s human rights record.
The public session of the 89th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from 12 to 21 October. The public session will be preceded by a training session organised jointly by ISHR, Front Line Defenders and Defend Defenders on 6, 7 and 11 October, and the NGO Forum, organised by ACDHRS from 8 to 10 October.
On 28 September, a delegation from the Government of Sierra Leone presented its fourth report under the Universal Periodic Review to the Human Rights Council. Of the 310 recommendations received, Sierra Leone 'took note' of 39 and accepted 271, of which 19 on the protection of human rights defenders and their working environment.
