Statement from Alianza de Familiares y Víctimas 2017 (Alliance of relatives and victims of 2017) on the Report of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

We, Alianza de Familiares y Víctimas del 2017 (Alfavic2017), want to express our gratitude and support for the report prepared and presented by the “Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

Alfavic2017 had the opportunity to be consulted and send all the information concerning each of the cases of our relatives; we are pleased and comforted to know that they were taken into account, and we urge not to leave out any of them. Each of the deaths due to extrajudicial executions, torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, sexual assaults, arbitrary detentions, and forced disappearances -crimes against humanity by the action of the Venezuelan State- must be investigated, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. Each victim and family must obtain Truth, Justice, and Reparation ”.

As reflected in the report[1], there are grounds to determine the existence of a pattern of systematic and deliberate attacks in Venezuela against people who disagree with the Government, and the seriousness of the human rights violations would constitute crimes against humanity. Our loved ones were murdered for exercising their rights to peaceful protest, to dissent, and to demand Democracy in Venezuela.

The conclusion is convincing and clear: “The Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that both the President and the Ministers of People’s Power for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace and for Defence, ordered or contributed to the commission of the crimes documented in this report, and having the effective ability to do so, failed to take preventive and repressive measures”[2].

We want to express our support, suffering, and solidarity to each of the Venezuelans who are part of this history of possible crimes against humanity; we stand by their side in their pain and their request for Justice. There are too many of us, we demand and deserve that the crimes against humanity committed to the detriment of our families do not go unpunished. We demand Justice and that the offenders -perpetrators and masterminds- by action and omission be brought to justice and sanctioned.

“The Mission recommends that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela immediately carry out prompt, effective, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into the human rights violations and crimes described in the present report, bringing perpetrators to account in line with international human rights norms and standards, and providing justice and reparations for victims. The State should ensure that investigations include those at higher levels of responsibility, with respect to all violations and crimes documented”.

Unfortunately, we have very little trust in the institutions of the current State to act under the principles of impartiality and transparency because they are not independent of those identified as authors of the State policy of serious human rights violations.

That is why we ask the international community, the United Nations member States, those who will take part in the interactive debate on September 23, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, to make every effort to renew the mandate of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, not to remain silent, and to act so that there is Justice, Truth, and Reparation and above all an ending to the actions of the Venezuelan State against its people. We ask to prevent any more people from falling victim to crimes against humanity or Human Rights violations in Venezuela.

We also want to call on the whole Venezuelan civil society at home and abroad, other victims of Human Rights violations, and the relatives of victims of crimes against humanity, to come together and raise their voices to stop these acts and start a process of Justice and Truth in Venezuela.

Justice for all victims of Human Rights violations in Venezuela, no more victims.

[1]https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/FFMV/A_HRC_45_CRP.11.pdf 

[2]https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/FFMV/A_HRC_45_33_AUV.pdf 

Translated by: José Rafael Medina