With Trump’s military action in Venezuela, the US has made every other country less safe, says an article by Volker Turk.
"I am deeply disturbed by these events – and by some of the reactions I have seen. A narrative is emerging that seeks to justify the US military intervention as a response to the Nicolás Maduro government’s appalling human rights record," he says in an article published in The Guardian website.
"My office has long condemned serious human rights violations by the Venezuelan authorities.
We have reported, monitored and warned about the situation inside Venezuela – most recently, just before Christmas.
We have consistently called for an end to unfair trials, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, the persecution of political opponents and sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
We have urged independent investigations and accountability. For many years, my team in Venezuela advocated for the release of human rights defenders, monitored trials and engaged with civil society and the opposition, as well as state institutions."
Venezuelan society needs healing. It needs justice to overcome polarisation and to repair its social and economic fabric. It does not need militarisation, violence or further uncertainty and instability, Turk stated.
He also said :
"The human rights of Venezuelans are not a bargaining chip, or a point to be scored.
I have visited Venezuela and spoken with its people, and I feel deeply for them at this moment. I feel for those waiting desperately for news about their loved ones; for families who have been separated; and for all those with empty places at their tables during this holiday season.
Human rights need to be central to Venezuela’s future – not an afterthought, taking a back seat to negotiations around the exploitation of fossil fuels. The country’s future must be decided by its people.
"More broadly, human rights cannot be treated like an ideological ping-pong ball. We cannot afford for our rights to be instrumentalised: invoked when they’re convenient, and vilified when they’re not. "
He also writes:
"I fear for people in the region and around the world who are deeply alarmed by what this breach in international law means for their own safety and security.
This is not about choosing between unilateral intervention that runs contrary to international law, or ignoring years of human rights violations. We need more fidelity to human rights law around the world, not less."
"Beyond the legal arguments, history teaches us that while attempts at regime change may initially be greeted by relief, they often lead to massive human rights violations, dangerous chaos and protracted violent conflict," the top UN official further said.
"Above all, Venezuela needs the international community to stop paying lip service to human rights, and to stand up for the UN charter and for international law. The alternative will have terrible consequences around the world."
Volcker is an Austrian lawyer
Volker Türk has been the UN high commissioner for human rights since 2022
In 2023 he led the Human Rights 75 initiative, to advance women's and children's rights, support climate change mitigation, and empower people with disabilities.
Türk promotes human rights as a solution to new challenges, such as the implications of digital technology on privacy and freedom of expression.
In January 2023, Türk criticized the "expedited removal" border policy of the administration of President Joe Biden and the United States under which non-citizens could be removed from the country or denied entry, saying it posed a risk to fundamental rights.[13]
In April 2023, Türk called on Russian authorities to free the longtime Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza who had been sentenced to a 25-year prison sentence on charges including treason.
The sentence is "another blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian Federation", said Türk.
ends
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