US Embassy in Venezuela calls for “no more repression and harassment”

The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela posted a message on social media calling for “no more repression, arbitrary arrests and harassment against the right of the Venezuelan people to express themselves and demonstrate” and reiterating its support for citizens of that country who seek “freedom and democracy.”

“The Venezuelan people deserve to live in a country where their human rights are respected and they can express themselves freely and peacefully,” says the X account of the Embassy, ​​which has been closed since January 2019 when Nicolás Maduro unilaterally broke diplomatic relations with the North American country.

However, the United States opened an External Office for Venezuela, based in Bogotá.

“Freedom of expression is not a privilege, it is a universal right, and the international community must stand firm in its defense. We remain committed to supporting Venezuelans in their quest for freedom and democracy,” the Embassy said in its message on social media.

The United States government has recognized the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, a candidate for the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), as the winner of the presidential elections held on July 28. The political force published more than 80% of the voting records table by table on the Internet to prove its victory by a wide margin.

The National Electoral Council (CNE), which has not yet published the results despite growing calls for transparency inside and outside Venezuela, declared Maduro president-elect on the same day of the elections.

Venezuela is experiencing a post-election crisis with opposition protests, in which more than twenty people have died, and repression by law enforcement forces that have arrested thousands of people.

“No more repression, arbitrary arrests and harassment against the right to express oneself and demonstrate, including the seizure of equipment belonging to the democratic opposition,” the US diplomatic message says.

On August 16, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved by consensus a non-binding resolution sponsored by the United States, among other countries, that demands that the Venezuelan authorities publish “expeditiously” the minutes of the elections of July 28.

The resolution urges the CNE to “promptly publish the minutes with the results of the presidential election votes at the level of each polling station” and “respect the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty through an impartial verification of the results that guarantees the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process.”

Their call joins those made on Friday by the European Union, including Spain, and 22 other countries, in favour of the “immediate publication of all the original minutes” of the elections and the “impartial” and “independent” verification of the results of the elections in Venezuela.

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