UN Rights Office to Send Team to Venezuela
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UN human rights office announced Friday that it will send a team to Venezuela next week to meet victims of rights violations, following an invitation from the government.
The "technical mission," which is expected to be in Venezuela from March 11 to 22, will also try to pave the way for a future visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, her office said in a statement, AFP reported.
"The team will seek to meet with Government officials, representatives of the National Assembly, civil society organizations and victims of human rights violations," it said.
Venezuela's foreign minister Jorge Arreaza invited Bachelet to visit his country in an address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week.
Before Bachelet can visit, the advance team will try to ensure that she will be given "unfettered access to the people and places she would need to visit to be able to gain a clear understanding of the human rights situation in the country," the statement said.
Venezuela has been in political turmoil over the past weeks. The opposition has been holding widespread anti-government protests, blaming Maduro for an ailing economy, hyperinflation, power cuts, and shortages of basic items, and urging him to resign.
Opposition figure Juan Guaido, 35, further plunged the country into political chaos on January 23, when he proclaimed himself the “interim president” of Venezuela, a bizarre move that was nevertheless met with US President Donald Trump’s immediate support.
Canada, a number of right-leaning Latin American countries, and several European Union member states followed suit with America. Other countries, including Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran, have expressed support for the elected government in Venezuela and condemned any foreign interference in the country.
