Rights groups call for release of Venezuela human rights defenders News
Carlos Díaz, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights groups call for release of Venezuela human rights defenders

At the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and several other rights groups called for the release of imprisoned rights defenders in Venezuela, noting the prevalence of enforced disappearances used to silence opposition.

Venezuela’s Bolívar Law gives the state wide discretion to impose prison sentences of 25-30 years for individuals that have supported sanctions against the country or recognized the government in exile. In addition, Venezuelan law requires NGOs to register with the government, restricts NGO from participating in “political activities” and imposes sanctions on foreign NGOs that are not registered in Venezuela.

Rights groups claim that these laws have allowed authorities to arrest and silence any person or organization that is critical of the government. A UN fact-finding mission reported last week that at least 150 foreign nationals have been detained based on the accusation of conspiracy against the government. The same report noted that at least 126 arrests of human rights defenders have been documented from September 2024 to January 2025.

Although Article 67 of the Venezuelan Constitution protects “the freedom of association through democratic methods”, the UN and rights groups highlight that the disappearances of rights defenders indicate that freedom of association is not being respected. Venezuela is also a signatory of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which obliges signatories to criminalize enforced disappearances.

Rights groups have also claimed that detained individuals are denied any legal recourse or representation, and often the families of detainees are not given a reason for their detention.

Nicolás Maduro claimed to win a third presidential term in Venezuela’s elections in January, in a vote that was contested by opposition parties and much of the international community. During the election, opposition party members were allegedly targeted for enforced disappearances, with the leader of the opposition being arrested for a day and then released.

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