Venezuela Justice Compromised - Fact-Finding Mission On Venezuela
/
1:44
/
MP4
/
128.4 MB

Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNOG , UNITED NATIONS

OHCHR - Hybrid Press Conference on Venezuela 16 September 2021

Venezuela’s justice system plays significant role in repression of opposition: rights probe

The independence of Venezuela’s justice system has been “deeply eroded”, to such an extent that it plays a significant role in the State’s repression of government opponents, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Thursday.

In its second report mandated by the Human Rights Council, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela alleged that judges allowed evidence submitted by prosecutors to be used that had been obtained by torture, among other “recurrent” due process violations.

“In some of the cases reviewed, judges also failed to protect victims of torture by ordering that they return to the places of detention where the torture allegedly occurred, despite having heard victims – sometimes bearing visible injuries consistent with torture – make the allegation in court,” the Mission said in a statement.

“Based on the investigations and the analysis conducted, the Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that instead of providing protection to victims of human rights violations and crimes, the Venezuelan justice system has played a significant role in the State’s repression of Governmental crimes,” said Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the fact-finding Mission, at press conference on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Mission’s findings are based on 177 interviews – including many with justice system actors – as well as a survey of former Venezuelan judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers, and analysis of thousands of pages of legal case files and other official documents.

Detailed analysis was also carried out on 183 detentions of “real or perceived” government opponents - 153 men and 30 women, roughly half civilians and half military - between 2014 and August 2021, uncovering irregularities “marring all stages of the criminal process”.

Highlighting frequent interference by the Government in prosecutions, Ms. Valiñas pointed out that in 102 of the 183 cases examined, “the Mission recorded that high-level public officials made public statements commenting on criminal cases involving or real or perceived opponents, either prior to or soon after their detention”.

Judges and prosecutors have been appointed on temporary contracts and justices who refused to give in to political pressure “have been vilified and intimidated”, the Mission said, noting that since 1999, at least a dozen new laws and resolutions have impacted adversely on judicial independence.

Among the procedural irregularities identified, the investigators pointed to lengthy procedural delays that denied defendants the opportunity to challenge evidence against them, “hurdles and harassment” faced by defence lawyers and pretrial detentions beyond the Constitutional limit of 24 months.

“Of the 170 cases reviewed that involved initial appearances, in 146 of them, pretrial detention was ordered by judges,” said Mission investigator Francisco Cox Vial. “Of those 80 - which is 47 per cent of them - lasted more than two years.”

The Mission also reviewed cases that it previously documented in 2020 of State intelligence forces who had subjected male and female detainees to enforced disappearance, torture - including sexual violence - and death.

No evidence was found of high-level officials being investigated or prosecuted in these incidents, or in any other cases it has investigated since, it said.
High-profile cases included that of Fernando Albán, the opposition leader who fell to his death from the 10th floor of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) headquarters in 2015; Rafael Acosta Arévalo, a military officer who fainted and died in a Caracas courtroom following torture in 2018; and Juan Pablo Pernalete, a student who died after a tear gas canister struck his chest at close range during a protest in Caracas in 2017.

“The Mission found that the recent charges brought in these cases are highly limited in scope and/or focused on isolating low-level perpetrators, as opposed to seeking accountability further up the chain of command,” it said in a statement.

Mr. Francisco Cox Vial added: “We have documented both in this report and the former report that the military are subject to the violations and both torture and other situations.”

The Mission’s latest report complements its September 2020 report, which found reasonable grounds to believe that high-level Venezuelan authorities and security forces had planned and executed serious human rights violations since 2014.

These include arbitrary killings and systematic torture which may amount to crimes against humanity.

ends



STORY: Venezuela Justice Compromised – Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela

TRT: 1’42”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 16 Sept 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
  2. Medium wide, TV screen showing external speaker, podium with UN logo to rear.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English): Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: “Based on the investigations and the analysis conducted, the Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that instead of providing protection to victims of human rights violations and crimes, the Venezuelan justice system has played a significant role in the State’s repression of Governmental crimes.”
  4. Wide shot, participant, seated and masked in front of laptop.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English): Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela: “In 102 of the 183 cases examined, the Mission recorded that high-level public officials made public statements commenting on criminal cases involving or real or perceived opponents, either prior to or soon after their detention.”
  6. Medium wide, TV screen showing external speaker, podium with UN logo to rear.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English): Francisco Cox Vial, Member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: “The Mission is concerned about the excessive use of pretrial detentions against real or perceived opponents; of the 170 cases reviewed that involved initial appearances, in 146 of them, pretrial detention was ordered by judges. Of those 80 - which is 47 per cent of them - lasted more than two years.”
  8. Medium shot, podium moderator taking notes, laptop shows external speaker.
  9. SOUNDBITE (English): Francisco Cox Vial, Member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: “We have documented both in this report and the former report that the military are subject to the violations and both torture and other situations.”
  10. Medium shot, participant, masked, watching laptop showing external speaker.
  11. Close-up, showing handwritten notes being made with an ink pen.
  12. Medium shot, participant, masked with hands on chin, watching laptop showing external speaker.


Audio Files 2
Download OHCHR - Hybrid Press Conference on Venezuela 16 September 2021 (Continuity)
Download
Download Venezuela Justice Compromised - Fact-Finding Mission On Venezuela
Download

Similar Stories

Gaza aid update - WFP

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP

Gaza aid update - WFP ENG FRA

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 21 October 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | UNFPA , WFP , WHO , OCHA , WMO

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 21 October 2025 ENG

UNCTAD 16 Rebeca Grynspan Stake Out - 20 October 2025

1

1

1

Statements , Press Conferences | UNCTAD

UNCTAD 16 Rebeca Grynspan Stake Out - 20 October 2025 ENG FRA

Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN trade and development (UNCTAD) briefs the media following the opening of the 16th Conference of the United Nations on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16) in Geneva.

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP , OCHA

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025 ENG FRA

UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 17 October 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | UNCTAD , WMO , WFP , UN WOMEN , WHO , OCHA

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 17 October 2025 ENG FRA

Rolando Gómez, Chief of Section, Public Information, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Food Programme, UN Women, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Meteorological Organization.

WMO Press Conference: Greenhouse Gas Bulletin - 15 October 2025

1

2

1

Press Conferences | WMO

WMO Press Conference: Greenhouse Gas Bulletin - 15 October 2025 ENG FRA

WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025 ENG FRA

Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach  desperate Palestinians.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 14 October 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | WMO , UNICEF , UNDP , ICRC , WHO , OCHA

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 14 October 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

UNCTAD Press Conference: UNCTAD 16 - 13 October

2

5

1

2

Press Conferences | UNCTAD

UNCTAD Press Conference: UNCTAD 16 - 13 October ENG FRA

UNCTAD / 16TH CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

As the global economy undergoes tectonic shifts in trade, finance and technology, global economic and development leaders will gather in Geneva this month to chart a path through mounting uncertainty and fragmentation. Ahead of the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16), Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan outlines how countries can navigate record debt, disrupted supply chains, volatile investment flows and accelerating digital transformation. UNCTAD / UNTV CH

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office ENG FRA

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025 ENG FRA

As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 10 October 2025

1

1

1

Press Conferences | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 10 October 2025 ENG FRA

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Health Organization.