The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to Venezuela released a report on Tuesday denouncing crimes committed by authorities during the July presidential elections in the country.
The report, which complements another released recently, documents several violations and crimes, including against humanity, including the practice of torture so that victims are incriminated for serious crimes such as terrorism.
“These violations include arbitrary detention, torture, short-term enforced disappearances and sexual violence, which are carried out as part of a coordinated plan to silence opponents or suspected opponents. Victims include children and adolescents, as well as people with disabilities”, explains the Mission.
The 158-page document accuses security forces and armed civilian groups affiliated with the regime of committing “murders, forced disappearances, acts of torture and sexual and gender-based violence”, before, during and after elections that were marked by persecution of opponents and repression of protests.
The Mission also accuses the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN, intelligence), the General Directorate of Military Counter-Intelligence (DGCIM, military intelligence), the Bolivarian National Guard (military police) and the Bolivarian National Police of being “massively involved” in violations of the population’s human rights.
“Detainees are threatened, including through acts of torture, to incriminate themselves for serious crimes such as terrorism. The lack of evidence and the absence of lawyers of their choice place victims in a particularly vulnerable position, as self-incrimination can lead to disproportionately high prison sentences,” the report explains.
According to the document, “the situation of detained children and adolescents is particularly serious, as they face the same threats and do not benefit from the special protection measures required by international law.”
According to the Mission, 25 people were murdered with a firearm, hundreds were injured and thousands were arrested simply for exercising the fundamental right to freedom of expression.
In the report, the Mission reiterates its appeal to the Venezuelan State to release all people arbitrarily detained and to respect the physical and psychological integrity of those detained, and the right to a fair process.
Venezuela, a country with a significant community of Portuguese and Portuguese descendants, held presidential elections on July 28, after which the National Electoral Council (CNE) attributed victory to Nicolás Maduro with just over 51% of the votes, while The opposition claims that its candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, obtained almost 70% of the votes.
The Venezuelan opposition and several countries in the international community denounced electoral fraud and demanded that the voting records be presented for independent verification, which the CNE says is unfeasible due to a cyber attack it was allegedly the target of.
The election results were contested in the streets, with demonstrations repressed by security forces, with the record of more than two thousand arrests and more than two dozen fatalities.
According to the NGO Fórum Penal (FP), Venezuela has 1,916 citizens detained for political reasons, of which 240 are women and 70 are teenagers aged between 14 and 17.
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