The Human Rights Council this morning held an interactive dialogue with the Fact-finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, heard an oral update by the Acting High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, then started a general debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention.
Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, said that the Mission had conducted 246 in-person and remote interviews and had carried out three missions to areas near the border, as they were not permitted to conduct investigations in Venezuela. Two State intelligence agencies, the military agency, DGCIM, and the civilian agency, SEBIN, were identified for their role in the selective repression of people perceived as opponents of the Government. The Mission’s investigations also focused on the situation in the mining regions of southern Venezuela, in the state of Bolívar. The Mission had documented in depth several attacks by State forces against indigenous persons living in the region.
Venezuela, speaking as a country concerned, said it regretted having to come again to the Council to confirm its terrible politicisation, highlighted by the so-called report, which was roundly rejected in form and substance. The so-called Fact-finding Mission had surpassed itself, creating a fiction about the country, aiming to please the international media circus, whose vultures just wanted to feed, and not reflect what was really happening. Everything was invented – millions of phantom migrants, so-called terrorist camps, and even a parallel President, whose existence was improbable. They struck low, but had failed in the criminal aim of regime change, as desired by the United States. Venezuela would take the relevant diplomatic measures if this interventionist mandate continued.
In the ensuing interactive dialogue, some speakers supported the work and essential tasks conducted by the Fact-Finding Mission and strongly supported the extension of the Mission’s mandate by two years. They were seriously concerned about the human rights situation in Venezuela, including the abuse of power by law enforcement and national intelligence services, which had committed torture, cruel treatment, and sexual- and gender-based violence. Some States rejected the dialogue being held, describing it as interfering and diplomatically motivated, saying that the report contained unsubstantiated information and lacked impartiality.
Nada Al-Nashif, Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in an oral update on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said since the last update to the Council in June, the people of Myanmar had been caught in a rapid downward spiral, with growing suffering, fear, and insecurity. Urgent action was needed to reverse this catastrophic situation and to restore peace, democracy, and sustainable development. Military tactics increasingly involved indiscriminate attacks and weaponry. Since February 2021, at least 2,316 people had been killed. The humanitarian crisis now brought fears of starvation, with the military largely denying humanitarian access, including recent orders to halt humanitarian operations in northern and central Rakhine state.
In the general debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, the situation of human rights in many countries and regions were raised. Many speakers said that the situation of women was a concern in many areas of the world, calling for the strengthening of women’s rights. Many speakers were also concerned about armed conflicts, which had impacted life in developing countries, resulting in rising prices and alarmingly low food supply levels. Some speakers were also concerned about violence against protestors, calling on States to respect the right to peaceful assembly, and to end crackdowns against political opponents and human rights defenders. A number of speakers said human rights should not be politicised; impartiality and objectivity were crucial to promoting the sound development of the international human rights cause. It was important that the Council focused on creating a conducive environment, under which States were encouraged to fulfil their human rights operations.
Speaking in the interactive discussion on Venezuela were European Union, Canada on behalf of a group of countries, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ireland, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Australia, Luxembourg, Cuba, Austria, Russian Federation, China, Netherlands, United States, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Argentina, Belarus, Yemen, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Spain, Belgium, Bolivia, Uruguay, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, Georgia, Malawi, Iran, Cambodia, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Algeria, and Syrian Arab Republic.
Also speaking were Freedom House, Aula Abierta, International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Service for Human Rights, CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation, International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, and World Organization Against Torture.
Speaking in the general debate were Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Czech Republic on behalf of the European Union, Venezuela on behalf of the Like-Minded Group, Azerbaijan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Germany, Finland, France, China, Lithuania, Venezuela, Republic of Korea, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Cuba, Netherlands, Armenia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Malaysia, Malawi, Ukraine, and United States.
The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found hereOpens in new window. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-first regular session can be found hereOpens in new window.
The next meeting of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to be held at 3 p.m., when it will continue the general debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention. At 4 p.m., the Council will then hold its annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout its work.
Source: UN Human Rights Council