Thank you, Mr Vice President.

Nearly a year has passed since the July 2024 presidential elections, yet instead of transparency, Venezuelan authorities have deepened repression. An alarming cycle of human rights violations continues to take place.

Over 900 Venezuelans remain arbitrarily detained, with reports of enforced disappearances targeting opposition members, human rights defenders and the independent media. Many detainees are held incommunicado, denied access to legal counsel and subjected to due process violations. The justice system, far from protecting victims, has become a tool of repression. Civil society has been stifled, worsened by the so-called ‘anti-NGO’ law, which undermines the ability of organisations to operate freely. 

The UK strongly condemns the continued erosion of human rights and calls for an immediate end to the repression. 

We commend the OHCHR’s vital work. We remain deeply concerned by the limited return of its office in Venezuela. Now more than ever, its presence in Caracas is essential: to monitor the worsening human rights situation, ensure accountability, and uphold fundamental freedoms.

We are keen to hear any assessment the OHCHR has made of the impact of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances on families in Venezuela, especially on women and girls.

Thank you.