UN mission gathers new evidence of crimes in Venezuela: 'Gross human rights violations and international crimes were committed'

Following last year's presidential elections, the government of Nicolas Maduro continued its campaign to "silencing, discouraging, and quashing the opposition." This was the conclusion of a United Nations investigative body on Monday, which gathered new evidence of repression in Venezuela after the elections usurped by the Caribbean leader.

"Detentions in 2025 continued against opposition members or those perceived as such, just like in 2024, with arrests carried out without legal basis or judicial warrants, frequently by masked individuals without official identification," said Francisco Cox, member of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela.

"Given the submission of the judiciary to the executive, the only hope for obtaining justice for victims in Venezuela lies with the international community," he pointed out.

The report, the full version of which can be found below, includes cases of conduct of "extreme cruelty and contempt for the victims," such as deaths due to lack of medical attention and sexual violence against detained adolescents.

Evidence of persecution

After conducting more than 230 interviews with victims, family members, witnesses and informants, as well as reviewing official and unofficial documents, the international mission put the number of deaths during the post-election protests at 25. The security forces were involved in at least 12.

During demonstrations in the city of Maracay, Aragua State, for example, investigators claim that members of the Bolivarian National Guard and the 99th Army Brigade opened fire on demonstrators, killing six. One, with a shotgun blast from less than 10 meters away.

In that period the regime also arrested more than 2,220 people. Although later, they claim, there were releases, the "arbitrary detentions continued systematically."

"The investigation [...] allows the mission to conclude that gross human
rights violations and international crimes were committed."UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela.

"The authorities continued to invoke the argument of dismantling conspiracies against the Government or the elections to justify dozens of arrests," the report states. "In addition to persons opposed to the Government, or perceived as such, a significant number of foreign nationals were detained and accused of mercenary, terrorist, or destabilizing activities."

Regarding the latter, the mission estimated that the number of foreign detainees is between 120 and 150. Among them is the French American Lucas Hunter, who investigators believe was kidnapped in Colombia.

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