United Nations experts this Wednesday condemned the large-scale military aggression carried out by the United States against Venezuela on January 3, as well as the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
“These actions represent a serious, manifest and deliberate violation of the most fundamental principles of international law, set a dangerous precedent and risk destabilizing the entire region and the world,” they warned.
Cited in a press release published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted that the unprovoked use of armed force in the sovereign territory of Venezuela constitutes a clear violation of Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter, which “unequivocally prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”
They added that this could constitute the international crime of aggression attributable to the political and military leaders involved.
They highlighted that this attack caused loss of human life and that the aggression is aggravated by the series of unilateral coercive measures against the country and the naval blockade, as well as the extrajudicial execution of more than 100 civilians, who were accused by the US of being linked to drug trafficking without showing evidence. “All these measures are contrary to international and humanitarian law, including the non-derogable right to life,” they said.
Furthermore, citing international law, they stressed that current leaders enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of foreign courts while they hold office.
Systematic disregard for peace
The experts stated that the unprecedented US attack on Venezuela should not be seen as an isolated event, but “as part of a broader and deeply worrying pattern of systematic disregard for peace, international law and multilateral institutions.”
They also warned that if these types of actions are tolerated, anarchy in international relations would be normalized and the global order would be fatally undermined.
Likewise, they expressed their concern about the statements of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, who Indian that he would “rule the country until we can make a transition” and that “we are going to take an enormous amount of wealth out of the land.” The experts noted that these statements constitute a flagrant disregard for the right of peoples to self-determination and their associated sovereignty over natural resources.
In the text, they highlighted the use of veiled pretexts to legitimize a military aggression whose objective is the exploitation of natural resources. “The international community, including States and companies, has a fundamental responsibility to refrain from being complicit in any imperial strategy that violates human rights and the principles of non-intervention and self-determination,” they asserted.
The experts reiterated that the future of Venezuela should only be determined by the Venezuelan people with full sovereignty, and urged UN member states to condemn Washington’s aggression and to act decisively to stop all actions that are contrary to international law.
Finally, they highlighted that respect for international law is imperative for the survival of a democratic and equitable international order, which is based on the rule of law.
Venezuela highlights UN condemnation
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, shared the statement through his Telegram channel, highlighting this strong condemnation of the US attack against the country.
Gil emphasized that the text points out that the aggression is aggravated by unilateral coercive measures and the naval blockade in the Caribbean, “which has resulted in the assault of oil tankers.”
He added that all these measures were previously adopted against Venezuela by the US and Europe in complete violation of international and humanitarian law.
