Venezuela crisis: UN says security forces killed hundreds
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Venezuelan security forces have carried out hundreds of arbitrary killings under the guise of fighting crime, the UN's human rights body says.
In a report, it cites "shocking" accounts of young men being killed during operations , often in poor districts, over the past three years.
The UN's human rights chief said no-one was being held to account, suggesting the rule of law was "virtually absent".
Venezuela has in the past dismissed human rights allegations as "lies".
The country is going through a protracted political and economic crisis.
What is at the root of the crisis?
Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves. When socialist President Hugo Chávez was in power, from 1999 until his death in 2013, he used oil money to finance social programmes.
But the opposition says much of the income was lost to mismanagement, patronage, and corruption.
Critics accuse Mr Chavez's successor, President Nicolás Maduro, of using increasingly authoritarian tactics as the economy collapsed, prompting hundreds of thousands of people to flee abroad.
Last year dozens of protesters were killed in clashes during protests against hyperinflation and food shortages.
Mr Maduro was re-elected in May, in a poll boycotted by the opposition and criticised by the UN and other international bodies.
What does the report say?
The UN Human Rights Office alleges that extra-judicial killings were carried out by officers involved with the Operations for the Liberation of the People, ostensibly a crime-reduction initiative.
These officers may have killed more than 500 people since July 2015 as a way to showcase crime-reduction results, it says. They are alleged to have faked evidence to make it look as though the victims died in exchanges of fire.
UN investigators have been denied access to Venezuela. They made their findings from interviews with about 150 witnesses and victims contacted through "internet-based technologies", the report says.
A number of interview with exiles were also held in Geneva, it adds. Some of the other evidence comes from former Attorney General Luisa Ortega. She was fired by Mr Maduro last year and went into exile.
The report says that under her replacement, investigations into allegations of abuses have virtually stopped.
Case study: 'He was human, not a dog'
The grandmother of a man killed during an operation in March 2018 told UN investigators that 50 officers had broken into their home, all of them dressed in black with a skull symbol on their jackets.
"They woke my 23-year-old grandson up, handcuffed him with plastic ties and took him out," she said. After a few minutes, the family heard gunshots. When they went downstairs to see what had happened, they were ordered back inside.
"Later, the forensic doctor told me that he had died of two gunshots to the chest and that he had been severely hit on the head.
"The police report mentioned that my grandson was carrying a gun and that he had opened fire against security forces, which is a lie. I want justice, he was a human being, not a dog."
Impunity
Katy Watson, BBC South America correspondent
Reports of extrajudicial killings are worrying yet not surprising. The crackdown from government forces during last year's protests brought international criticism, and impunity is so prevalent that people fear for their safety every day, especially in big cities such as the capital Caracas.
The government's reaction to such criticism is also predictable - it either denies the problems exist, or blames the US.
Yet the problems don't go away. They just get worse.
I was in Venezuela for the elections last month and everybody recounted stories of not being able to get enough food or access medicines - they say it's a situation that's become impossible. Those who can leave.
Did the UN mention the country's economic problems?
Yes. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, accused Venezuela of failing to acknowledge the depth of its crisis.
"When a box of hypertension pills costs more than the monthly minimum wage and baby milk formula more than two months' salary, but protesting against such an impossible situation can land you in jail, the extreme injustice of it all is stark," he added.
Mr Hussein suggested the International Criminal Court could become involved.
Earlier this week the US quit the UN Human Rights Council , having previously criticised the body for failing to act against a number of countries, including Venezuela.
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Has Trump praised the Venezuelan government yet? You know, talked about how good their leaders are, how tough they are, and how they know how to handle trouble makers? ( deleted, Off topic {SP} )
Trump hasn't by Obama was quite high on Hugo Chavez and his government.
Let us know when he pulls an Obama and orders two troop surges in Afghanistan and signs a horrendous SOFA agreement tying the US to a weak corrupt government; orders US troops back into Iraq to aide a government loyal to Iran; and destabilizes 3 countries Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Not to mention signs a toothless agreement with Iran that none of the security council members have any interest in enforcing.
I know that is a tall order to fill; but I am sure the Democrats, Left, and MSM will keep us informed.
And you let me know when Trump stops continuing all of those things. BTW, I like the deflection, really serves as more of a confirmation of my statement.
You might find this interesting: Crisis-ridden Venezuela gave $500K to Trump inauguration (CNN)
Trump did praise Duterte for having death squads.
Who is Duterte?
Ummm.....the president of the Philippines. Do you know of another Duterte with death squads?
Been paying more attention to this side of the world.
I guess you missed the fact that your buddy Trump has repeatedly praised Duterte's use of death squads.
This article has nothing to do with President Trump or President Obama. Kindly knock it off or take it somewhere else where that is welcome. Post an article and derail it all you want. Again, don't do it on mine.
While we while away time here posting the stupidest political stories, the collapse of Venezuela, the rise of yes, a dictator and his follow on dictaor have turned this once beautiful country into a true shit-hole to the Nth degree. People are suffering everyday, now the possibility of being murdered for no reason whatsoever is a real concern, not just hypothetical. This once again is an experiment in Socialism. It is also a failure, as the others have been.
While we while away time here posting the stupidest political stories, the collapse of Venezuela, the rise of yes, a dictator and his follow on dictaor have turned this once beautiful country into a true shit-hole to the Nth degree. People are suffering everyday, now the possibility of being murdered for no reason
And its even more ironic when you consider that Venezuela has the potential to prosper:
Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
They have a lot of natural resources and should be one of the most prosperous countries on earth.
With all those resources there's no excuse for starving people
Mismanagement of the highest order. I mean come on, it should be a cake walk to make that country rich.
I have to agree with you. The country was propsering and the standard of living was one of the tops in South America until Chavez and his minions took over, noe it is a hellhole for people that live there. Socialism = Failure, as there is no way to get rid of those that have caused it........
Doesn't sound much like socialism to me since the government isn't handing out healthcare, food, and money. The government is hoarding it all for themselves which is pure banana-republic style dictatorship
Geeeeezzzzz TG!!!
what?
The problem is, people take over, change style of government to socialism, start gathering power, then they don't have to care about the peop;le that put them there, especially qwhen you force a change to the constitution that keeps you in power virtually forever, you gather all the weapons your citizens have, so they have no choice in the matter and have no way to fight back against a corrupt and unjust regime.
The inevitable end of socialist regimes, the slaughter and suffering of civilians.
It sounds very similar to what the Philippines is doing but they have a democratic regime like we have in the US.
Haven't seen many stories coming out of the Philipines. If you have something, feel free to share.