In a letter addressed to the president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), Dr. Nancy Hernández López, and other judges of the organization, the President-elect of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, requested the active cooperation of the Court in the face of the human rights crisis that the country is going through and aggravated after the presidential elections of July 28th, 2024.
Edmundo González stressed that his election as president is the result of a struggle led by María Corina Machado and supported by millions of Venezuelans committed to the restoration of democracy.
However, he denounced that the Chavista regime has intensified repression, creating a context of state terrorism, a term previously used by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to describe the situation in Venezuela which reports systematic violence by the regime against its political opponents.
In his letter, the president-elect exposed alarming figures on pre- and post-electoral repression: more than 2,000 arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, cases of torture and at least 25 murders.
He also pointed out the siege of protesters, opposition leaders and human rights defenders, citing the recent temporary kidnapping of María Corina Machado and the prolonged confinement of members of her campaign command in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas.
Among the most serious events, he mentioned the disappearance of his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares; of the former candidate Enrique Márquez; and of the human rights defender Carlos Correa, who was recently released after days of arbitrary detention.
Restriction of civic space and humanitarian crisis
Edmundo González also denounced the impact of repressive laws that seek to criminalize civil society organizations, along with the censorship of media and digital platforms.
He also recalled that the complex humanitarian emergency has forced more than seven million Venezuelans to migrate, putting neighboring countries in crisis.
Call to the Inter-American Court
González urged the Inter-American Court to evaluate the possibility of strengthening cooperation with other national and international justice systems, stressing that its rulings are essential to combat impunity and guarantee justice, truth and reparation to victims.
The president concluded his message by reiterating his commitment to the inter-American human rights system and advocating for the full return of Venezuela to the Organization of American States (OAS) and the IACHR. “The next return to democracy must be accompanied by respect for our international obligations and compliance with the rulings of this high hemispheric Court,” he said.
The letter reflects not only the seriousness of the situation in Venezuela, but also the hope that international organizations will act as key allies in the defense of human rights and the restoration of democratic order in Venezuela.