UN torture rapporteur condemns violations in Venezuela
Swiss lawyer Nils Melzer, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on torture, has demanded an “immediate, impartial and effective investigation” into all deaths during the ongoing protests in Venezuela. He is concerned by signs of systematic abuse.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Español
es
El relator de la ONU condena las violaciones en Venezuela
On Wednesday, the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Venezuelan security forces, backed by pro-government militias, had quashed peaceful protests with excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, torture and executions.
The South American country was plunged into a political crisis in January when Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled congress, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election was not legitimate.
On Thursday, Melzer and nine other independent expertsExternal link called on Maduro’s government to “respect and protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to address the underlying causes for the demonstrations”.
“We are deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating economic, social and political situation in Venezuela and call upon the authorities to take urgent and immediate measures to address this complex crisis, with full respect for their international human rights obligations,” they said in a statement.
Crackdown
The experts said they had received credible indications of “systematic” and “pervasive” human rights violations during the Venezuelan authorities’ crackdown on protesters, journalists and human rights defenders.
Two months ago, more than 1,000 people, including minors, were reportedly detained arbitrarily following protests. Most were held for several days without access to their families or lawyers.
“We are particularly concerned about reports indicating that 26 people were killed by security forces and pro-government paramilitary groups while taking part in demonstrations between 22 and 25 January,” the experts said.
Maduro, a socialist who says he is the victim of an attempted US-led coup, retains the support of the armed forces and control of state functions.
More
More
UN torture rapporteur on the millions at risk
This content was published on
What’s it like to be the UN ‘Special Rapporteur’ on torture?
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Demonstrations in Swiss cities against Maduro
This content was published on
Several hundred people demonstrated in Swiss cities on Saturday, demanding Venezuelan President Maduro allow humanitarian aid into country.
Switzerland denies talks with Guaido over Venezuela assets
This content was published on
Switzerland denies a claim by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido that he spoke to the Swiss president about freezing bank accounts.
This content was published on
You may not know it, but there are quite a number of Swiss people working in important international positions. swissinfo.ch talks to four of them.
Seven million migrants tortured, claims Swiss UN expert
This content was published on
Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, estimates that at least seven million migrants around the world have been victims of torture.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.