Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Friday called for a halt [press release] to the “escalating campaign” against human rights activists taking place in Venezuela. According to human rights groups, the government has employed tactics [JURIST report] intended to discredit and undermine the legitimacy of 28 international and Latin American human rights organizations by making allegations that the organizations do not support Venezuelan democracy. AI encouraged Venezuela to support the much needed human rights reform especially in light of the upcoming hearing Venezuela will attend at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) [official website] on Monday.

Venezuela has routinely been called out for their human rights abuses. AI reported in March that Venezuela effectively allows more violence [JURIST report] and abuses through its failure to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of the injuries and tortures during 2014 protests. Between February and July 2014, demonstrators gathered to protest government authority [BBC news report], resulting in conflict with police and the deaths of 43 people and the injury of 878. In response to the conflict, rights groups criticized Venezuelan security forces of abusing and unlawfully detaining protesters, and called for an end to violence [JURIST reports] in the country. Such violent demonstrations were partially motivated by Venezuela’s current economic difficulties [BBC backgrounder] and disdain towards current President Nicolas Maduro. In 2013 Venezuela withdrew from the IACHR despite criticism from activists and calls by the UN [JURIST reports] for the country to remain a member.