View of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Venezuela: UN mission condemns arrests ahead of presidential inauguration Human Rights
Recent arrests, including of prominent human rights defenders, political leaders and their relatives, represent yet another attack on the rights and freedoms of the Venezuelan people, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela said.
According to the Mission, these arrests come ahead of opposition-led demonstrations expected today, January 9, and the presidential inauguration scheduled for January 10.
Over the past two days, 16 arrests or detentions have been recorded in various regions of the country, targeting political leaders, human rights defenders and even relatives of opposition figures.
“We reiterate that these human rights violations and crimes may entail individual criminal responsibility under international law for those who commit them, as well as for those who order or authorize them,” said Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the Mission. – These detentions sow fear among the population and prevent people from freely expressing their opinions or carrying out their legitimate work in defence of human rights.”
The mission urges immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of those arrested to ensure their protection in accordance with the law. In addition, all those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally.
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