Corporate report

Human Rights Priority Country status report: January to June 2016

Updated 8 February 2017

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government

The first 6 months of 2016 were dominated by political polarisation after the 6 December 2015 National Assembly (NA) elections, in which the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition won a significant majority in the Venezuelan National Assembly (NA). On 15 January, President Maduro delivered his annual address to parliament. He acknowledged the opposition’s win but defended the government’s social achievements and focused on the “economic and media war” facing the country. The NA President, Henry Ramos Allup, urged the government to change economic policy and pledged to investigate corruption. He called for genuine dialogue and asked the Armed Forces not to intervene in politics. Since then, both the MUD and the Venezuelan government have accused each other of stepping beyond their constitutional mandates. Human rights and socio-economic concerns have continued.

Also in January, President Maduro issued a decree declaring a 60-day state of economic emergency, extended in March for another 60 days. This gave him special powers over the allocation of budgetary resources and production of goods, imports, distribution and price controls. In May, President Maduro announced a new 60-day State of Emergency with additional provisions to guarantee internal order, tackle electricity shortages, and improve access to basic staples. The decree also included a provision which would allow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess and suspend international co-operation agreements. Human rights organisations criticised the decree for its ambiguous language, which could lead to further human rights violations.

International human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have said that the scarcity of food and medicines is the most pressing concern in Venezuela. A local think-tank has reported that shortages of basic food supplies reached 43% in May compared with 31% in May 2015. In March, 60 Venezuelan NGOs called on the government to accept humanitarian aid, highlighting the scarcity of 80% of medicines and medical supplies. In April, 3 Venezuelan universities published a report saying that, at the end of 2015, 73% of households were in poverty and 49% in extreme poverty.

Another key human rights concern is the rising level of violence, protests, and looting. The NGO, the Venezuelan Observatory on Social Conflict, reported that in May there were 641 protests and 52 cases of looting (as well as 36 failed attempts), in some of which people were killed. Mob lynching has also become a social response to scarcity and criminality: government statistics in May estimated that 74 people had been lynched that month, of whom 37 lost their lives. On 4 March, at least 17 gold miners were killed in an attack in Tumeremo, Bolívar State. Although the government has launched an ongoing investigation, there have been accusations from local NGOs that state authorities were involved.

Freedom of expression continues to be a concern. On 1 February, the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) carried out an inspection of TV news channel Globovisión, which had changed its editorial line after the NA elections, adopting a less pro-government position. The head of the NA’s Media Committee called the inspection a form of intimidation and asked Globovisión and CONATEL to appear before the Assembly. Separately, the President of the Chamber of Regional Newspapers said access to foreign currency for printing paper and ink fell by 40% in January, threatening at least 90 newspapers. During the first 6 months of 2016, at least 2 regional newspapers (El Carabobeño and Diario La Verdad) stopped circulation after they were unable to access paper; 22 newspapers have had to stop their print editions since 2013.

The NA legislative agenda during the period included a focus on human rights issues, e.g. an “Amnesty and National Reconciliation Law” for “political prisoners” and exiles, and the granting of ownership titles to people living in state housing. In February, the NA also declared a food emergency, and presented a draft National Production Law to tackle shortages. The PSUV (government) parliamentary group argued that this was a cover for US intervention. The government rejected all of these laws, and since January the Supreme Court has ruled nineteen times against various NA laws and decisions, including on the NA’s right to question ministers.

The government has also set out plans to address human rights concerns. President Maduro announced on 2 March the launch of a 2016-2019 National Plan on Human Rights. It has 5 strategic objectives: education on human rights, strengthening state institutions, promoting citizens’ participation in society through social programmes, co-operating with international human rights systems, and strengthening public policies with a human rights approach. Several NGOs have criticised the plan on the basis that it was produced without consultation, is politically biased, and focuses on the government’s existing social initiatives.

UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations) is currently mediating between the government and the opposition in talks that aim to establish a more productive relationship, which in turn should improve the respect of human rights. These discussions include several human rights priorities, such as the release of high-profile political prisoners and the acceptance of international support to address the health situation.

President Maduro has called for a National Justice Commission to investigate political violence between 1958 and 1998, but there has been little progress in the cases of long-running high-profile prisoners, several of whose appeal hearings have been delayed so far in 2016. Overall, NGOs have said that there remain over 100 political prisoners in Venezuela. The lack of due process and the level of independence of the judiciary continue to be a concern.

The UK continues to promote human rights and democracy in Venezuela, against a background of increasing political confrontation, violence, and economic challenges. The UK’s focus is on supporting the UNASUR process to ensure that all sides are included in resolving Venezuela’s human rights problems. The UK’s work in Venezuela on human rights during the first half of 2016 has included leading the local EU Working Group on Human Rights and Democracy, observing high-profile trial hearings, building the strength of democratic institutions, and working with human rights defenders and civil society organisations.

In May 2016, the project “Strengthening the Venezuelan National Assembly’s institutional capacity to promote a more democratic, transparent, and effective parliamentary culture” was approved through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. This important cross-party project is aimed at supporting the NA’s work in strengthening democratic governance and the rule of law in Venezuela, while becoming a more accountable institution. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy is our implementation partner.