Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has approved the deployment of a small team of human rights experts in the crisis country. This was announced by UNO Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet last night (local time) in Caracas. „The government has agreed that my team is guaranteed access to internment camps to monitor circumstances and talk to detainees.“
Bachelet called on the authorities in Venezuela to release those who had been deprived of their freedom for peacefully expressing disagreements.
The Chilean UN commissioner also met with victims of human rights violations and their families during her visit. Some had been terribly tortured in prisons. She also talked to people who supported the government and were victims of violence, Bachelet said. They all demanded justice.
Bachelet met Maduro and Guaido
The UNO Commissioner for Human Rights had met Maduro and some of his ministers as well as self-appointed interim president Juan Guaido yesterday. She emphasized that human rights are more important than personal ambitions. „The fate of more than 30 million Venezuelans depends on the willingness and ability of world leaders to put human rights before personal, ideological and political ambitions,“ said Bachelet.
For months Maduro and Guaido have fought a bitter power struggle. Numerous opposition members are being held in custody, and the police are constantly cracking down on demonstrators. In addition, the once rich country suffers from a severe supply crisis. Millions of Venezuelans have already fled abroad.
