Relatives of ‘political prisoners’ protest in front of the headquarters of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Caracas, Venezuela, in December. File Photo by Ronald Pena/EPA
Warning that political persecution is intensifying, a report by the U.N. Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela said the country has a “sustained and systematic pattern” of detaining relatives of opposition figures to impose social control through fear.
The report presents new evidence of harsh postelection repression after the July 28, 2024, presidential vote, when the National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner without releasing tally sheets.
The mission said political persecution, including against human rights defenders and those advocating for fundamental freedoms, has continued in 2025.
According to the report, the state’s policy to silence, discourage and neutralize the has been carried out consistently through different methods, particularly during periods of heightened political tension such as presidential inaugurations and parliamentary or regional elections.
In those contexts, repression escalated, mainly through arbitrary detentions and other serious human rights violations.
The mission’s investigation documented acts of extreme cruelty and disregard for victims, intended to inflict severe suffering. These included denial of food, water and timely medical care, as well as sexual violence against detained women, including against girls and adolescents.
The crackdown resulted in 25 deaths and more than 2,220 detentions, including at least 218 children and adolescents. Along with government opponents, between 120 and 150 foreign nationals were detained and accused of mercenary, terrorist or destabilizing activities.
The report said detainees began to be released on Nov. 15, 2024. According to official data from Venezuela’s Public Ministry, 2,006 had been released by March, though the rights group Foro Penal recorded only 1,399 — 1,209 men and 190 women.
The mission documented 18 cases of journalists detained while working between August 2024 and August of this year, targeted as government opponents, whether real or perceived.
In five previous reports since 2020, the mission made at least 145 recommendations to the Venezuelan state. None were implemented. Instead, repression deepened, with systematic violations and international crimes continuing for more than a decade.
Responding to the report presented Tuesday in Geneva before the U.N. Human Rights Council, Edmundo González — recognized internationally as the legitimate winner of the July 28, 2024, presidential election — wrote on X: “There are truths that admit no discussion. In the face of torture, sexual violence, forced disappearance or death, there can be no compromise or justification.”
He said the Fact-Finding Mission’s findings allow for no interpretation or nuance.
“This report points to clear responsibility before the international community. The voices expressed today at the Human Rights Council are a necessary step, but insufficient given the magnitude of what has been confirmed. Venezuela needs the active and sustained solidarity of democratic nations,” González said.
On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, González and opposition leader María Corina Machado called on the international community to support the “popular sovereignty” of their country.
Machado, who has been in hiding since January, advocated for the “dismantling” of Nicolás Maduro’s regime and the “prosecution” of those who, she claims, “violate” the law and human rights.
“Venezuela will move forward in an orderly and peaceful democratic transition. … You can count on the brave people of Venezuela to carry out this historic task, and we are counting on you,” Machado said.
