Abuses and killings in Venezuela: an issue of international concern

Human Rights Under Threat

The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch reported on the extrajudicial executions imprisonments committed by the Special Actions Forces (FAES) of the Venezuelan police. These abuses have been done against people from the lower social classes that stopped supporting the government of Nicolás Maduro. Moreover, the NGO added that since 2016, these forces have murdered nearly 18000 persons for supposedly resisting authority.

The NGO shared this information with the fiscal of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, who in February 2018 started examining the situation with Venezuela in order to determine if the Court should do an exhaustive investigation on the issue. In September of that year many countries made a formal request for that investigation to be done.

The World Report 2019, that provides information from 2018, gives a lot of attention to the humanitarian crisis and all the consequences Maduro’s government is bringing, including the abuses, the killings and the lack of freedom. José Miguel Vivanco, the Director of the Division of the Americas of HRW stated that the organization expects that “the United Nations, specifically the Human Rights Committee that is gathered in Geneve right now, is considering the information provided on the Venezuelan issue, deciding on appointing an special commission of experts to investigate the situation with this country, and the modus operandi of the FAES”.

Human Rights Watch is an international Non-Governmental Organization that investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. It was founded in 1978 as “Helsinki Watch,” when it began investigating rights abuses in countries that signed the Helsinki Accords, most notably those behind the Iron Curtain. Since then, it has expanded to five continents. Now, it consists of roughly 450 people of 70-plus nationalities. Human Right Watch’s work consists of three main points. Firstly, investigate, to uncover facts that create an undeniable record of human rights abuses. Secondly, expose, to tell the stories of what they found. Finally, change, by meeting with governments, the United Nations, rebel groups, corporations, and others to see that policy is changed, laws are enforced, and justice is served.

The organization is constantly checking and making sure that human rights are being respected worldwide and, if this doesn’t happen, it works until this is achieved, and Argentina is not being left behind. The World Report 2019 makes reference to some actions our country is taking in order to confront past right abuses, such as the crimes against humanity which occurred during the last military junta. The report also mentions the issues with sexual health and abortion, commenting on the massive protests that happened last year asking for the depenalization of the induced end of pregnancy. Moreover, it includes a section explaining the obstacles indigenous people in Argentina face in accessing justice, land, education, health care, and basic services. Information on the poor prison conditions and abuses by security forces such as overcrowding ill-treatment by guards’ inadequate facilities and inmate violence continue in Argentina’s prisons can also be found. It is also remarked our failure in justice to convict someone for the AMIA Bombing, that happened 1994. The report highlights our progress in sexual orientation and gender identity, since we became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage.