UN: Venezuelan president, security forces committed crimes against humanity

Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his top officials are accused of detaining, torturing and killing government critics. On Wednesday, a United Nations investigative panel announced there’s significant evidence Maduro along with his security forces performed crimes against humanity.

According to the members, the officials psychologically tortured, beat and electrocuted government detractors beginning as early as 2014. The group believes the human rights violations were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on Venezuelan citizens.

“The mission has looked in close detail at almost 100 cases of protests and has reasonable grounds to believe that many of those who have been detained in the context of those protests were subjected to torture,” stated Paul Seils, member of the UN fact-finding mission on Venezuela. “Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”

There was a “green light to kill” people

And a “cultural behaviour” of #torture#FFMVenezuela based its findings on extensive documentation & 274 interviews, including with people with inside knowledge of violations

Detailed findings: https://t.co/zyN3qEmtgI#Venezuela #HRC45 pic.twitter.com/I86X0DlSt9

— HRC SECRETARIAT (@UN_HRC) September 16, 2020

The panel also found a majority of the extra judicial killings have not led to prosecutions. The chair of the group has called for those involved to be held accountable and said this is a major problem the Venezuelan government needs to address.

Source:   OANN