In the last 72 hours, several Venezuelan opposition politicians and human rights defenders have been arrested, including former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, as well as the reported “disappearance” of activist Carlos Correa.
The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, expressed this Wednesday, January 8, “deep concern” about the “arbitrary detention and persecution” of opponents and their families in Venezuela, after learning of several cases in the last few hours. .
“No one should be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention and that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference, as well as to peaceful assembly,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesman, without mentioning no name; reviewed EFE.
In the last 72 hours, several Venezuelan opposition politicians and human rights defenders have been arrested, including former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, as well as the reported “disappearance” of activist Carlos Correa and the “kidnapping” of the son-in-law of opposition leader Edmundo González. Urrutia, Rafael Tudares.
*Read also: NGOs demand before the Palace of Justice that Carlos Correa be given immediate freedom
Opponents and respect for human rights
This January 7, Guterres, also through his spokesperson, repudiated an “offensive against human rights” in Venezuela and said that he hopes that “there will be no more repression in the coming days, especially this week.”
While on January 2, the UN Fact-Finding Mission urged the Venezuelan authorities to respect the rights to life, liberty and personal security of all Venezuelans and release all those who have been detained. arbitrarily.
«We make a strong call to the authorities so that the rights to demonstrate and express themselves freely can be exercised without fear of possible reprisals. “We remember that the security forces responsible for maintaining public order must behave with the strictest international standards regarding the use of force,” said Marta Valiñaspresident of the Mission.
The inauguration of the presidency in Venezuela is scheduled for this Friday, January 10, a date on which Edmundo González Urrutia assures that he will be in Venezuela, after claiming to be the winner of the elections held on July 28. However, Nicolás Maduro, whom the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared the winner, will assume a new mandate for the period 2025-2031.
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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