Thank you Mr. President,

Madame Chair,

The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement.

We would like to thank the members of the Fact Finding Mission for their extensive and detailed reporting since the start of their mandate in 2019.

Your reporting to this Council has proven to be complementary to the work of the OHCHR.

Your updates give voice to and further reinforce the work done by the many brave Venezuelan human rights defenders. We, therefore, regret the continued refusal by the Venezuelan authorities to cooperate with the FFM.

We remain deeply concerned about continued human rights violations in Venezuela. Your reference to “a wave of repression against opponents, which is intensifying nationwide” is alarming and underlines the importance of continued monitoring, investigation and documentation of the human rights situation in the country. 

Ms. Valiñas,

You report about intimidation, harassment and detention on political grounds. We reiterate our call for the respect of due process and fair trial guarantees for all detainees in Venezuela. We also emphasize the need to protect and respect the rights of detainees to legal and medical assistance and in this regard highlight the cases of Juan Carlos Marrufo, María Auxiliadora Delgado and Emirlendris Benítez.

Ms. Valiñas, we are concerned about possible effects of legislation restricting activities of NGOs in Venezuela. What is your assessment of the impact of anti-terrorism legislation on the work of civil society?