UN torture rapporteur condemns violations in Venezuela

Swiss lawyer Nils Melzer, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on torture, has demanded an “immediate, impartial and effective investigation” into all deaths during the ongoing protests in Venezuela. He is concerned by signs of systematic abuse.  On Wednesday, the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Venezuelan security forces, backed by pro-government militias, had quashed peaceful protests with excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, torture and executions.  The South American country was plunged into a political crisis in January when Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled congress, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election was not legitimate.  On Thursday, Melzer and nine other independent experts called on Maduro’s government to “respect and protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to address the underlying causes for the demonstrations”.  “We are deeply concerned about the ...