US airstrikes on Venezuela and the seizing of the nation’s leader at the weekend clearly “undermined a fundamental principle of international law,” the UN said yesterday.
“States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“And this is what we are seeing,” she said, calling on the international community to “come together with one voice.”
Photo: Reuters / Miraflores Palace
US commandos backed by warplanes, the navy and airstrikes forcibly seized deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the early hours of Saturday.
Maduro appeared in court in New York on Monday to deny drug trafficking and other charges brought by Washington, insisting that he had been kidnapped and remained Venezuela’s president.
The US and EU say Maduro stayed in power by rigging elections — most recently in 2024 — and imprisoning opponents, while overseeing rampant corruption.
Shamdasani said the UN rights office had spent years reporting on the “continued deterioration” in Venezuela, but she dismissed US justifications for its actions, saying accountability for rights violations “cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law.”
“Using human rights arguments as a justification for this kind of military intervention is unacceptable,” she said, adding that she feared the US intervention “will only make the situation worse.”
Shamdasani said that a state of emergency declared by Venezuelan authorities on Saturday allows property seizures, restricts free movement and suspends the right to protest, among other measures.
“Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention ... damages the architecture of international security, making every country less safe,” she said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
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