In response to the UN Human Rights Council’s vote today adopting the resolution that renews the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, as well as of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for another two years, Amnesty International’s Americas director, Ana Piquer, said:
“We welcome this decision to continue the scrutiny over the ongoing human rights crisis in Venezuela. Extending the Mission’s crucial work for the next two years reinforces the international community’s interest in justice and accountability for gross human rights violations in the country, including crimes against humanity. This is a clear sign of recognition that the government’s repressive apparatus is still in place while opacity and impunity remain the norm.”
“Renewing UN scrutiny and investigations into the situation in Venezuela speaks to the seriousness of the continuing crisis in the country and of the repressive structures and practices still in place. The Mission’s investigation, reporting, and evidence-based recommendations are a key tool for scrutinizing the government’s long-standing policy of repression. Its victim and justice-centered mandate can play a crucial role in finding solutions for accountability and the non-repetition of the suffering that people have endured for long over a decade.”
“We remind the Venezuelan authorities and the international community that victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence must be front and center in all efforts to ensure a future where the rule of law and human rights are fully respected in Venezuela. We also continue calling for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained for political reasons, for all repressive laws and regulations to be repealed, for the end to political persecution, and the full dismantling of the state’s policy of repression.”
Background information
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM) is a mechanism created by the UN in 2019 to exercise scrutiny and investigate gross human rights violations in Venezuela. Its work has been highly regarded, and its continuity deemed necessary, so its mandate has been renewed in 2020, 2022, and 2024 for two-year periods. Since 2024, the states that lead this effort are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
For more background information, please see: Venezuela: What you need to know about the renewal of the UN fact-finding mission.
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