Amnesty International UK [advocacy website] blamed [press release] the Venezuelan government under President Nicolás Maduro [CNN profile] for the “worst human rights crisis in its history” in a report [text, PDF] published on Thursday.

The study highlights human rights abuses [materials] that Amnesty condemns as showing a disregard for human life. Among the most poignant statistics are that 22 percent of homicides committed in 2016 were by government security officers and that more than a majority (60 percent) of murder victims are boys and young men ranging from 12-29 years old.

The report also calls attention to the sharp increase in Venezuelans leaving the country, likely as a result of the human rights violations. Amnesty International Americas Director Erika Guevara-Rosas [Women’s Media Center profile] urged Venezuela to change its policies saying, “[t]he government of President Maduro should guarantee the right to life, instead of taking the lives of the country’s young people.”

The crisis in Venezuela has caused human rights organizations and neighboring countries to take action with a joint statement [JURIST report] earlier in September. Argentina President Mauricio Macri announced a plan [JURIST report] in August to report Maduro and the Venezuelan government to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.