U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday that the U.S. military operation in Venezuela “undermined a fundamental principle of international law.” He warned that states should not threaten or use force against another country’s political independence or territorial integrity.
The OHCHR statement said the office has documented a steady deterioration in Venezuela for about a decade and warned the latest instability and “further militarization” could deepen the harm facing civilians.
In a statement issued in Geneva through spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, Türk said Washington has justified the intervention by pointing to Venezuela’s long-running human rights crisis. But the statement argued that accountability for abuses cannot be achieved through unilateral military action that violates international law.
Türk also raised concerns about a state of emergency declared by Venezuelan authorities that took effect Saturday. The emergency measures, the statement said, authorize restrictions on freedom of movement, seizure of property considered necessary for national defense, and suspension of the rights to assembly and protest, among other steps.
Turk urged the U.S. and Venezuelan governments and the rest of the world to make sure that international law, particularly human rights, is fully respected.
“The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone,” the statement said, citing the right to self-determination and sovereignty over the country’s resources.
