Venezuela asks UN human rights staff to leave country amid review
CARACAS, (Reuters) - Venezuela’s government has asked staff from the United Nations’ human rights body to leave the country within three days, saying it will conduct a revision of its cooperation with the organization, with the UN saying it would evaluate next steps.
The South American country’s government said it had made a decision “to suspend the activities of the technical advisory office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and carry out a holistic revision of the technical cooperation terms.”
The review will take place over the next 30 days, the government said in a statement, adding that all UN personnel connected to the office must leave the country during the next 72 hours.
“We regret this announcement and are evaluating the next steps. We continue to engage with the authorities and other stakeholders,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in response to questions from Reuters. “Our guiding principle has been and remains the promotion and protection of the human rights of the people of Venezuela.
Venezuelan state television on Wednesday harshly criticized comments by the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, who just concluded a visit to Venezuela.
Fakhri had said in a statement the government food programme does not tackle the root causes of hunger and is susceptible to political influences.
The UN human rights office, which has operated in Venezuela since 2019 and has 13 staff in the country, must rectify its “colonialist, abusive and violating attitude,” the government’s statement added.
The office has played an “inappropriate role” in the country and supported impunity for people involved in attempts at assassination, coups, conspiracies and other plots, it said.