CARACAS. – Amid the protests recorded in Venezuela Following the results of the presidential elections announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and which awarded the victory to Nicolás Maduro, International Amnesty called for unrestricted protection of the exercise of the human right to peaceful assembly.
“People who take to the streets to demonstrate should not, under any circumstances, be repressed with excessive use of force. force, Amnesty International warned in a statement on Monday, July 29.
In a post on social media, the organization said that authorities who have the power to use force “must strictly adhere to international standards and norms, compliance with which will be verified by international justice.”
According to information from the NGO Foro Penal, as of 9 pm on Monday, there had been reports of 46 arbitrary arrests in the context of post-election demonstrations in Venezuela and one person killed in Yaracuy state.
The NGO Provea, for its part, reported that dozens of peaceful protesters gathered in front of the National Guard command in Caricuao, west of Caracas, “demanding respect for the popular will.” They said that a picket of the National Police (PNB) prevented them from advancing.
Call from the IACHR
For its part, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) spoke out on allegations of irregularities in vote counting and fraud in the recent Venezuelan elections.
“The IACHR reaffirms that the State must reestablish independence and the balance of powers, as well as respect the rule of law,” the Commission said in a statement. It also stressed the need to guarantee “unrestricted respect for the legitimate and democratic decisions taken by the Venezuelan people at the polls.”
The IACHR called for the National Electoral Council to be granted independence as a measure to regain the confidence of citizens and the international community in the country’s public institutions.
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Source: Amnesty International / IACHR / Foro Penal / Provea
