VP/HR – Human rights violations and arrests in Venezuela

Parliamentary questions

3 March 2015

Question for written answer
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)

Rule 130
Ilhan Kyuchyuk (ALDE)

Subject: VP/HR — Human rights violations and arrests in Venezuela

Last year Parliament passed two resolutions urging Caracas to withdraw arrest warrants against opposition politicians. Since then, the Venezuelan Government has responded with even wider crackdowns on the opposition, justifying them with the argument that nobody can accept lessons imparted from abroad. Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez remains in prison with judicial hearings on his case plagued with irregularities, while the leader of the liberal opposition, Maria Corina Machado, continues to face criminal charges. Just days ago the authorities arrested the mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, without an arrest warrant for allegedly plotting violence against the Government, sparking fears of a renewed crackdown on the opposition in the country. It is now clear that the Venezuelan Government is becoming more authoritarian and dangerous to its own people.

1. Is the EEAS aware of the new military tactics law adopted by the Venezuelan Government which permits the use of potentially lethal force against civilians during public gatherings and demonstrations?

2. What concrete steps will the EEAS take to ensure that Venezuela follows its international obligations and protects its citizens’ right to freedom of expression and association as mandated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which the country is signatory?

Тази публикация е достъпна и на следните езици: Bulgarian