Bachelet criticizes extrajudicial killings in Venezuela (March 22, 2019)

Venezuela's government, backed by paramilitary forces, have cracked down on protesters, said U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet. In a presentation Wednesday to the U.N's human rights council she cited reports of numerous violations and abuses by security forces and pro-Government armed groups, including the excessive use of force, killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, threats and intimidation. 

She particularly emphasized reports of at least 205 extrajudicial killings reportedly carried out by the Special Actions Force or FAES. A further 37 were reportedly killed in the course of January 2019 in Caracas, she said. The criminalization of protests is part of a broader "reduction in democratic space" Bachelet expressed concern about. She also mentioned crackdowns on freedom of expression and journalists. (Efecto Cocuyo, Reuters, and Al Jazeera)

Bachelet also criticized U.S. sanctions against Venezuela's government, which she said "may contribute to aggravating the economic crisis." She noted the dramatic deterioration of social and economic rights since June, 2018, and that vulnerable populations have been particularly affected. (Associated Press and Efecto Cocuyo)

Bachelet emphasized that political divisions in Venezuela are worsening an already critical human rights and humanitarian situation in the country and urged the dissenting factions to resolve their political differences. (Voice of America)

Bachelet said the technical team in Venezuela preparing for her official visit is a first step, but emphasized it should have unimpeded access and that the people they talk to should not be subject to retribution. This is especially relevant since Dr. Ronny Villasmil’s residence was searched a day after he denounced the conditions of public hospitals to the UN technical team, notes David Smilde in the Venezuela Weekly.

More from Venezuela

• Venezuelan authorities accuse opposition leader Juan Guaidó's chief of staff of participating in a drone attack attempt against President Nicolás Maduro last year, reports Efecto Cocuyo. Roberto Marrero was detained yesterday by masked intelligence agency officials. (See yesterday's briefs.) Maduro said Roberto Marrero was part of a terrorist group planning a series of attacks targeting hospitals and Caracas metro stations, reports Efecto Cocuyo separately. 

• The detention, vehemently condemned by the United States, could signal a new crackdown on the opposition, reports the Washington Post. The detention is being seen as a direct challenge to Washington and the more than 50 other nations recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president, reports the Miami Herald. (See yesterday's briefs.) 

• Interior minister Nestor Reverol also linked Luis Alberto Páez Salazar, driver to opposition National Assembly lawmaker Sergio Vergara, to the alleged terrorist cell. Vergara's home was also raided yesterday. (Efecto Cocuyo, Guardian)

• Yesterday the U.N. renewed a call for all parties “to lower tensions and refrain from any action that could lead to further escalation," in light of Marrero's detention, reports the Associated Press. 

• The U.S. threatened to pull out of the IADB's annual meeting in China next week if Guaidó's representative is not permitted to attend. (Reuters)

• Venezuela's revolution of hunger -- Guardian photo-essay.

News Briefs

Regional Relations

• South American leaders -- minus Maduro -- meet in Chile today, where they hope to launch  a new regional political group called "Prosur," to replace Unasur. (Reuters)

• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will visit Chile today, where gay and anti-fascist activists have planned protests and some lawmakers have called for to be declared persona non grata, saying that they were concerned by the visit by “a president who represents the far right and defends the proliferation of hate speech and endorses violations of human rights," reports the Guardian. The government invitation to a lunch in Bolsonaro's honor caused a kerfuffle by instructing women to wear short dresses. Officials later clarified that they meant non-gala wear. (Guardian, CNN)

Brazil

• Former Brazilian president Michel Temer was arrested yesterday on corruption charges. (See yesterday's briefs.) He was detained by federal police while driving in São Paulo. Judge Marcelo Breitas issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Temer and nine others in “Operation Radioactivity” – part of Operation Car Wash. Federal prosecutors said Temer had led “a criminal organization”, which was involved in the construction of Brazil’s Angra 3 nuclear plant. (Guardian, Washington Post)

Nicaragua

• Nicaragua's government and opposition delegations resumed stalled peace talks yesterday, following a government promise to release political prisoners within 90 days. Prisoner release tops the agenda items for negotiations. The Committee for the Liberation of Political Prisoners, which counts about 640 such prisoners, said prisoners should be freed within 15 days and talks must not proceed before the release. (AFP, Associated Press, Confidencial, and see yesterday's post.)

• Yesterday the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Nicaragua and calling for monitoring by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (Confidencial, Associated Press, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International)

Haiti

• Haitian President Jovenel Moise named Jean-Michel Lapin acting prime minister, reports AFP. (Lawmakers ousted the former prime minister on Monday, see Tuesday's briefs.)

• Heavily armed security contractors arrested in Port-au-Prince last month say they were hired to protect a businessman, report the Associated Press and the Miami Herald. (See Wednesday's briefs.)

Guatemala

• Thelma Aldana, former attorney general and presidential candidate, is delaying her return to Guatemala after an arrest warrant was issued against her earlier this week. (Associated Press) As a presidential candidate she has immunity from criminal prosecution, and her team said she plans to return soon. (See Wednesday's post.)

Mexico

• Legal repercussions for Odebrecht bribes have stalled in Mexico -- an obstacle to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's promise to root out government corruption, writes Luis Pérez de Acha in a New York Times Español op-ed.

• López Obrador should ban gillnets as a last-ditch attempt to save the vaquita porpoise species, on the verge of extinction, argues Richard Parker in a New York Times op-ed.

Chile

• A Chilean judge sentenced 11 former soldiers to prison for taking part in a notorious dictatorship era attack on two democracy activists who were set on fire. The 1986 attack killed Rodrigo Rojas and disfigured Carmen Gloria Quintana. Attempts to investigate the attack were consistently stymied by a "pact of silence" within the military. (Guardian, New York Times)

Colombia

• Colombia’s constitutional court said it cannot rule on whether potential changes to legislation that implements a peace deal with Marxist rebels are constitutional until after they are approved by congress, reports Reuters.

• At least nine people were killed and four injured in an unexplained explosion in Colombia's Cauca region yesterday. (Reuters)

El Salvador

• About 500 people marched in San Salvador, demanding Salvadoran lawmakers approve a long-stalled constitutional measure making access to water a human right. (EFE)

Central America

• Central America's traditional elites have lost power over the past 30 years, but "the full impact of this historic shift has been blunted by the lack of broad, inclusive national debates and the growing role of regional economic powers", writes Alexander Segovia at the Aula blog.

Did I miss something, get something wrong, or do you have a different take? Let me know ...

Latin America Daily Briefing