Geneva (EFE).- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, defended today the need for the next primary elections in Venezuela, called for October 22, to be transparent and inclusive.
He argued that for this, restrictions must be lifted for citizens to participate in public affairs and prevent attacks or acts of intimidation against dissident voices.
He considered that the obstacles observed, such as the disqualification of opposition representatives from holding public office, must be urgently lifted.
The anti-Chavista opposition candidate for the 2024 presidential elections will emerge from these primaries.
Former deputy María Corina Machado can participate in these primaries, but not in the presidential ones, even if she were elected as an opposition candidate, since she was recently disqualified from competing for a popularly elected position for 15 years.
Surveillance over Venezuela
In this same area, Türk said that his body is closely following the appointment of the new National Electoral Council from the perspective of human rights.
In the presentation of the report on Venezuela before the Human Rights Council, in Geneva, Türk widely recognized the advances in cooperation between the Government and other official Venezuelan instances -particularly the Judiciary- with the UN body that he directs, among those who mentioned access to civilian detention centers and two military ones.
It also indicated that the representative office of this body in Venezuela has had access to thirteen judicial files and three hearings, and was able to have direct contact with prosecutors in cases that concern it.
The high commissioner also acknowledged that “the number of murders by state agents, as well as the complaints of torture and ill-treatment, have decreased.”
Allegations of torture persist
He indicated that he has learned that in 2022 there were 362 charges of torture and 47 convictions, but that his office is aware of another 91 complaints of torture filed by victims or their representatives.
Regarding the latter, he asked that the authorities investigate them, without exception and with total transparency.
Likewise, it regretted the delay in the investigation of the deaths registered during citizen protests that took place in 2014, 2017 and 2019.
“Of the 101 deaths that my office has documented in the context of security operations, only eight have reached the courts,” he said.