U.S. denounces Venezuela for repression, demands free elections
GENEVA, (Reuters) - The United States denounced the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday for suppressing protests and called for free elections, saying that he must not be allowed to follow a “dictatorship” path like Syrian leader Bashar alAssad.
The Maduro government calls the protesters violent coup-mongers, supported by the United States.
“This is an economic, political and humanitarian crisis that demands the world’s attention,” Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told a U.S.-hosted panel of Venezuelan activists and experts held on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“The Venezuelan government is in the midst of destroying human rights and democracy in Venezuela. It is conducting a campaign of violence and intimidation against unarmed demonstrators, businesses, civil society and freely elected political opposition,” she said.
But Jorge Valero, Venezuela ambassador, told the Council that Venezuelans enjoyed fundamental freedoms, adding: “This (U.S.) government has no moral authority to set itself up as a universal judge of human rights.”
Haley, speaking later at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, said states must prevent human rights crises from becoming armed conflicts.
“It’s the reason why I am so concerned about Venezuela. Because in Venezuela, (one is) hardpressed to see that Maduro is not following in the same steps as Assad. We have to make sure we stop it before it gets to that point,” she said.
“It’s supposed to be democracy, it’s turning into a dictatorship and that’s a problem,” she added.
At least 65 people have died in unrest since early April, with hundreds injured. Some 3,000 people have been arrested, with around one-third still behind bars, according to rights group Penal Forum.