WASHINGTON, DC – MONTHS after Venezuela's controversial general elections, the government continues its crackdown on opposition figures who challenge the outcome of the polls.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) has called on the international community to seek justice for the commission of crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
“The authorities of the Venezuelan dictatorial regime have planned, implemented and executed the repressive reality that the country is experiencing: the plan to prevail by force and repression that imprisons, tortures and kills. And that imprisons, tortures and kills minors,” the Secretariat said in a media statement.
Following the elections, a prominent opposition figure fled to Spain, seeking asylum after the issuance of an arrest warrant targeting him and other dissenters of the Nicolás Maduro administration.
"Those responsible for these crimes must be stopped by justice, which is the way to stop the disgrace of death and the violations of human rights that tyrants use against their people daily. This is the direct responsibility of the International Criminal Court,” the statement added.
The OAS highlighted that the regime’s ongoing repression aims to obliterate the democratic will of the people, crush political dissent, and impose authoritarian rule. This campaign of oppression, the statement notes, aligns with the definition of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.
The OAS criticized those who remain indifferent to these atrocities or manipulate justice to shield the perpetrators.
The Secretariat condemned the Maduro regime’s attempts to deceive international intermediaries while continuing its repression of the Venezuelan people.
Meanwhile, the United States and Chile reaffirmed their commitment to promoting democracy and human rights in the Western Hemisphere. In recent discussions, both nations expressed deep concern over Venezuela’s political persecution and the deteriorating human rights situation.
In a joint statement, the two countries stressed the need for a solution that acknowledges the will of the Venezuelan people and facilitates a peaceful transition to democracy.
