IACHR Reports Human Rights Violations in Venezuela During 2024 Elections

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented this Friday before the Organization of American States (OAS) a report on human rights violations that occurred in Venezuela during the 2024 electoral context. In the document, the IACHR detailed the actions of the Venezuelan government that affected the electoral process and the rights of citizens.

Phase 1: Government Repressive Strategy

In its report, the IACHR explained that it analyzed three phases of the electoral process, starting with the government’s repressive strategy to prevent the opposition’s participation. According to the commission, the government’s goal was to “perpetuate itself in power.” During the pre-election period, the government controlled several key institutions such as the Public Ministry, the General Comptroller’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).

Additionally, opposition members, human rights defenders, and social leaders were arbitrarily detained. The IACHR also highlighted that opposition leaders were intimidated and disqualified, hindering their political participation.

Phase 2: During the Elections

The lack of rule of law in Venezuela is the biggest challenge for #HumanRights.

The #InformeVenezuela denounces repression, electoral opacity, and severe violations, and proposes recommendations for the return to democracy.

Read it here👉 https://t.co/9RA3EQrMjh 🟡🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/X80a3qyc9k

— IACHR – IACHR (@IACHR) January 17, 2025

The second phase focused on the presidential elections of July 28. The IACHR pointed out that the National Electoral Council (CNE) suspended the transmission of results and refused to publish voting records that would prove Nicolás Maduro’s victory. This led to serious allegations of electoral fraud and widespread discontent among the population.

Additionally, the opposition, anticipating a potential fraud, collected 83.5% of the voting records, which supposedly declared Edmundo González the winner.

Phase 3: Repression After the Elections

The final phase, according to the IACHR, occurred after July 28 and was the phase of repression. The commission’s rapporteur reported that security forces and government-aligned civilian groups repressed nearly 300 spontaneous demonstrations.

It was also mentioned the ‘Operation Tun Tun,’ which resulted in more than 2,000 arbitrary detentions, including children and adolescents, and reports of torture and cruel and degrading treatment.

During this time, there were also mass arrests and raids without judicial orders. Additionally, citizens’ passports were canceled to prevent them from leaving the country.

Conclusion: Serious Violations and Lack of Legitimacy

The IACHR report concluded that human rights violations in Venezuela are the result of the co-optation of state institutions by the Executive Power. The commission considers that the circumstances surrounding the July 28 elections were an alteration of the constitutional order. Electoral opacity and restrictions on political rights prevented the IACHR from considering Nicolás Maduro’s reelection to be democratically legitimate.