Convinced that Venezuelan society will know how to find peaceful and constitutional solutions to reconquer democracy, the rule of law, equal rights, justice and economic growth to overcome the situation of need, oppression and injustice afflicting the population of the country, the organizations of the human rights movement that adopt this declaration express our intention to persist in the construction of a future of change for Venezuela, for which we convey before the Venezuelan people, the victims of human rights violations, social and political leaders and the international community our commitment to:
Participate in the active defense of any credible and genuine possibility of solving the political conflict that opens the way for democracy, based on the principles and standards of human rights and asserting the legitimate right of the entire population to free and authentic elections, which requires an electoral institution that guarantees the citizen’s will, expressed through individual, free, secret and universal suffrage inside and outside the country; the revitalization of a culture of political participation, capable of rejecting any attempt to discourage, instrumentalize and manipulate the exercise of electoral rights, in an environment of security and protection for the exercise of freedom of expression and the free circulation of information, and the end of censorship, including the restitution of the independent media outlets that have been arbitrarily closed and the prohibition and rejection of all types of discrimination, especially for political reasons.
Insist on continuing to work to put an end to impunity for abuses and arbitrariness, grand corruption and irregularities, the denial and deprivation of people’s rights, discrimination and violence of any kind, the normalization of human rights violations, the practices of censorship, social control, coercion, simulation or silence, and to promote denunciation as a duty and power of every person and every official in national public bodies and international organizations, following the ethical imperatives and non-evadible and inexcusable obligations as the only recourse for the victims of human rights violations that seek visibility and legitimate demand for protection.
Continue to support the millions of victims who suffer the inclemency of the Complex Humanitarian Emergency due to the multiple and massive deprivation of rights, in urban and rural areas, with differentiated effects on women, children and adolescents, the elderly, LGBTI people, people with disabilities, people in prisons, people with health problems, indigenous peoples and communities, and farmers; with increasingly pronounced inequalities in access to food, adequate nutrition, medicines and health services provided by well-equipped and trained personnel; an education system marked by exclusion at all levels, without adequate teaching staff, unfit facilities and extensive setbacks in the quality of teaching; the frequent interruption of drinking water, sanitation, electricity, gas, transport and communications services, and the lack of citizen security and protection, with high vulnerabilities to disaster risks, public health threats, exploitation, modern slavery or violence from groups in territorial, economic and social control of different areas of the country. We will also continue to support all local organizations that provide humanitarian assistance and protection with disadvantaged access to resources to meet the high burden of needs, who provide support and protection to the most vulnerable populations, assuming the risks of fieldwork in the absence of democracy.
Maintain the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples and communities, from a collective and intercultural perspective, in interdependence with the defense of environmental rights, national parks and protected natural monuments and the denunciation of the effects of climate change; against the misappropriation of indigenous lands promoted by the State, which reinforces an economic model of extractivism for the intensive exploitation of natural resources across the national territory or private enjoyment. We will encourage reaching a consensus on a concept of alternative economic development and the preservation of the environment under a human rights perspective and with the participation of indigenous peoples; ending the politicization and presence of armed groups in indigenous territories, a cross-border and binational work; the protection of indigenous peoples from the impacts of the complex humanitarian emergency; the recovery of environmental institutions and the reform or repeal of laws that neglect environmental rights.
Remain firm in the desire to promote the restoration of the responsibility, efficiency and transparency of the State in the fulfillment of its domestic and international obligations, as part of a real process of democratic transition that restore the trust of society in all public institutions of the executive, electoral, judicial, legislative, and citizen branch at a national, regional, and local level, and a penitentiary system observant of the human rights of the entire prison population, often subjected to treatment that harms their humanity. This includes restoring the constitutional limits of State functions; the separation and autonomy of powers; judicial independence and the right to defense and due process; probity and suitability in the appointment of public officials, judges and prosecutors; compliance with the norm and legal reserve; combating corruption in public administration; and the activation of criminal justice mechanisms along with a transitional justice process as part of the construction of peace to guarantee memory, truth, justice, reparation to the victims and non-repetition of the serious and massive violations of rights humans.
Maintain our legitimate determination to appeal to all the mandates for the protection of human rights in the different systems, mechanisms and levels of response of the international community, so that they complement each other and all the multilateral efforts for a democratic transition. This means a joint, constant and permanent advocacy effort to make visible the human rights crisis in Venezuela and warn of threats to the victims, defenders, civil society and the civic space; and continue to demand from international organizations a conduct consistent with the protection of rights and oriented to results, in any area of response (humanitarian action, peacebuilding and development), that does not reproduce the practices of omission or inaction, ambiguity, silent diplomacy, concealment and secrecy, disregard of structural violations, the transfer of responsibilities to other actors and the degradation of human rights to prioritize assistance or funding.
Honor our mission of defense, put at the service of promoting a culture of human rights, from our different identities and spokespersons, in all issues and work spaces, together with the victims, the population and the communities; other organizations of civil society, professional associations, trade unions, and the academic and scientific community, and national and international actors. Human rights inspire and lay the foundations of a country project that guarantees equality and freedom for all, under democracy and with inclusive, sustained and equitable economic, social, cultural and environmental development, as long as we can make them the north of a shared, pluralistic, renewing, inclusive, purposeful and motivating vision that involves and empathizes with all of us.
We have plenty of human capacities, perseverance, and confidence that we will get ahead, for the current generations and those that are growing up in this country and abroad! Together we will make it possible.
Translated by Jose Rafael Medina
