UN Human Rights Council 57: UK Statement on human rights situation in Venezuela

Thank you, Mr. President.

The playwright Tom Stoppard wrote that: "It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting." Just last week, we stood with 48 other nations in New York to call for the Venezuelan authorities to respect the people's choice in the 28 July elections.

In the eight weeks since those elections, which the UN Panel of Experts stated "could not be considered democratic" we have seen thousands arbitrarily detained (including minors), the passports of human rights defenders annulled, the approval of the NGO law threatening civic space, and the persecution of the opposition candidate Edmundo González, who appears to have won the most votes in those elections by a significant margin.

We commend the continuing important and necessary work of the Fact-Finding Mission and the OHCHR, we strongly support the renewal of these critical mandates, and call on Venezuelan authorities to cooperate fully with both by granting them immediate, full and unfettered access to the country.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirm our commitment to working towards a peaceful solution that respects each and every vote cast on 28 July.

Ms. Valiñas,

What more can be done to end the ongoing repression in Venezuela?