{"id":80655,"date":"2025-12-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/venezuelas-national-guard-linked-to-killings-torture-and-repression-un-probe-finds\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T12:00:00","slug":"venezuelas-national-guard-linked-to-killings-torture-and-repression-un-probe-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=80655","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela\u2019s National Guard linked to killings, torture and repression, UN probe finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The\u00a0Independent International\u00a0Fact-Finding Mission\u00a0says\u00a0the force has played\u00a0a central role\u00a0in systematic repression since 2014, entrenching impunity and violating basic rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe facts we have documented show the role of the GNB in a pattern of systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such,\u00a0which has continued for more than a decade,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Marta\u00a0Vali\u00f1as,\u00a0the Mission\u2019s Chair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe persistence of these crimes and the absence of adequate justice require a determined response from national and international accountability mechanisms.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Excessive force<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The GNB used excessive force, including the improper use of lethal weapons, during peak\u00a0periods of protest\u00a0in 2014,\u00a02017, 2019, and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The Mission\u00a0said it has reasonable grounds to believe that officials fired indiscriminately\u00a0on protestors, including aiming directly at vital areas on the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Investigators\u00a0also received information regarding\u00a0projectiles being\u00a0modified\u00a0to cause greater harm.<\/p>\n<p>They also\u00a0documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions,\u00a0physical violence during arrests,\u00a0planting\u00a0of\u00a0evidence, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence inside GNB facilities\u00a0that were\u00a0used as temporary detention\u00a0centres.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Pattern of abuse<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe torture, ill-treatment, and acts of sexual violence we have verified \u2013 including assaults and rape \u2013 were not isolated incidents. They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Ms.\u00a0Vali\u00f1as.<\/p>\n<p>The report\u00a0found\u00a0the\u00a0GNB was a central actor in the commission of persecution on political grounds, which is a crime against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>The military force\u00a0also played a key role in the 2024 post-election \u201cOperation Tun\u00a0Tun\u201d\u00a0(Spanish for \u201cknock, knock\u201d)\u00a0raids\u00a0that sought to\u00a0target and\u00a0criminalise\u00a0opponents through unfounded accusations of terrorism or incitement to hatred.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Structural impunity and systemic failures<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The report\u00a0identifies\u00a0what the Mission\u00a0described as\u00a0\u201ca pattern of structural impunity sustained by systemic failures within the Venezuelan judicial system, revealing its inability or unwillingness to investigate or prosecute violations committed by the GNB.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0is further\u00a0characterized by\u00a0stalled investigations, prolonged procedural paralysis, manipulation of evidence, deliberate obstruction by the GNB, and accountability\u00a0that is exclusively\u00a0limited to low-ranking personnel.<\/p>\n<p>The report\u00a0contains\u00a0an in-depth analysis of the internal operational structures of the\u00a0branch, including its chain of command.<\/p>\n<p>It also details how\u00a0Venezuela\u2019s \u201cnational security\u201d doctrine has merged military and police functions,\u00a0thus\u00a0legitimising\u00a0the militarization of public security and expanding the\u00a0GNB\u2019s\u00a0role in operations aimed at social control and internal repression.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>About the Fact-Finding Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela\u00a0was\u00a0established\u00a0by the UN Human Rights Council\u00a0in September 2019 to assess alleged violations committed in the country since 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past year, it\u00a0has also focused\u00a0on investigating the human rights situation surrounding the\u00a0disputed\u00a02024 presidential elections and on violence by\u00a0pro-government\u00a0militias\u00a0known as \u201ccolectivos\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Mission consists of\u00a0three members\u00a0who\u00a0receive their mandate from the\u00a0Human Rights\u00a0Council, which is based in Geneva.\u00a0 They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/feed\/view\/en\/story\/2025\/12\/1166565\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0Independent International\u00a0Fact-Finding Mission\u00a0says\u00a0the force has played\u00a0a central role\u00a0in systematic repression since 2014, entrenching impunity and violating&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1684,2335,1985,1089,1009,2202,2183,1943,7377],"class_list":["post-80655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-america","tag-finds","tag-guard","tag-killings","tag-linked","tag-national","tag-probe","tag-repression","tag-torture","tag-venezuelas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.0 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - 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