The Ibero-American Commission on Human Rights for the Development of the Americas (CIDHPDA), in the voice of the President Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Víctor Hugo Gutiérrez Yáñez, condemned the multiple arrests made by the government headed by Nicolás Maduro with the sole objective of perpetuating itself in power at any cost.
The electoral process in Venezuela has developed in a climate of tension that keeps the international community worried, because, despite the fact that Maduro agreed to work together with members of the opposition to carry out a free and competitive presidential election, the president and his close associates have taken control over Venezuelan institutions to weaken the agreement.
Not only has the registration of the candidacy of former legislator María Corina Machado been prevented, but also several critics of the government have been imprisoned in the last six months, among them, some of Machado's allies. Civil society organizations have come out to protest against this situation, denouncing that since the beginning of this year political violence has escalated, restricting public spaces and silencing critical voices. Likewise, arbitrary arrests against human rights defenders and opposition activists have increased, including Javier Tarazona, director of the NGO Fundaredes, imprisoned since 2021; and Rocío Sanmiguel, an activist accused of being part of a plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro, arrested in February of this year.
The United States has repeatedly expressed its concern about the electoral process in Venezuela. Seeing that the commitments for clean and fair elections have not been fulfilled, it has determined to impose sanctions on the oil and gas sector of this nation. On the other hand, the presidents of Brazil, Lula da Silva, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro, agree that efforts must be made to guarantee stability and political peace in their neighboring country.
The Commissioner President urged the International Community to take action to SAVE VENEZUELA, being that today 8 million Venezuelans are out of their country. In the CIDHPDA we reject the anti-democratic practices exercised by the government of the South American nation, clearly fracturing the Human Rights of the Universal System of the United Nations and the Inter-American System of the Organization of American States.
Gutiérrez Yáñez asserted the urgent need for the United Nations Committee on Torture to visit the prisons where Nicolás Maduro's opponents are being held in order to guarantee the human rights and the right to life of people whose only crime is to want to change Venezuela for the better.