The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned, this Friday, the alleged persecution of Venezuelan opponents for political reasons and urged Venezuela to guarantee rights and plurality in the country.
“The IACHR condemns restrictions on the right to political participation and freedom of association of opposition candidates and those who protest to demand rights in Venezuela. The State must guarantee pluralism in the conduct of public affairs, either directly or through freely chosen representatives, as well as allow the exercise of peaceful protest”, explained in a statement.
In the document, posted on its website, the IACHR recalled that on June 30, 2023, through an official statement, the Comptroller General of the Republic of Venezuela announced that the opposition candidate María Corina Machado was disqualified from holding public office. for 15 years. , thus preventing him from running in the 2024 presidential elections.
“This disqualification is added to other prominent opponents who aspire to the Presidency of the Republic, such as Henrique Capriles and Freddy Superlano,” he added.
According to the IACHR, “this type of disqualification is not new in Venezuela: In 2021, in the framework of elections for regional and municipal authorities, the National Electoral Council rejected 27 candidacies for disqualifications imposed by the Comptroller General of the Republic.”
“This decision disproportionately impacted the dissident political parties of the government, such as the Communist Party of Venezuela, with 15 disqualifications, and the opposition parties gathered in the Democratic Unity Table (MUD), which received at least 3 disqualifications,” he stressed. .
In the statement, the IACHR stressed that “the State of Venezuela was internationally condemned in the López Mendoza case for this type of sanctions” and “reiterated that” no administrative body can restrict the political rights to elect and be elected, through sanctions of disqualification or resignation”.
“According to inter-American standards, in order to consolidate and protect a democratic order that respects human rights, this type of sanction can only be imposed by means of a conviction in the framework of a criminal proceeding,” the document reads.
On the other hand, the IACHR “notes with particular concern the arbitrary detention of three trade unionists from the state company Siderúrgica del Orinoco, on June 11, in the context of a peaceful protest demanding labor rights,” bringing the number of arrests to 20. workers detained this year in similar circumstances and subjected to regular court appearances, some of them accused of crimes such as hate speech.
“The administrative disqualifications of opposition candidates and the arbitrary detention of trade unionists are not isolated events, they are the result of a State policy that seeks to close the civic space in the country. The IACHR recalls that the exercise of political rights is an end in itself and a means for democratic societies to guarantee other rights,” the document states.
According to the IACHR, “it is urgent that the State of Venezuela adopt a genuine commitment to democracy and the rule of law, lifting administrative disqualifications, refraining from arbitrary detentions and allowing political participation in conditions of equality.”
Source: TSF
