Venezuela Opposes Formation Of UN Mission On Human Rights Violations - Foreign Minister

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2019) The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro opposed on Tuesday the creation of a fact-finding mission for Venezuela by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

On Monday, the UNHRC appointed three officials to serve as members of the Fact-finding Mission on Venezuela, which was announced in September. The mission aims to investigate extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture as well as other crimes, which have allegedly taken place in Venezuela since 2014. The UNHRC also called on the government to grant the mission an immediate, unrestricted access to the collection of information in the country.

"In the light of the formation of the Fact-finding Mission for Venezuela, Venezuela rejects the political use of the UNHRC mechanisms and informs that the government works in coordination with the Office of the [United Nations] High Commissioner [for Human Rights]," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in a communique, posted on Twitter.

According to the communique, the creation of such mission threatens the legitimate institutions of the Venezuela and "aims to conceal the serious social crises that have shocked the world community, faced by the governments of human rights violating countries."

In October, Venezuela won a vote for a seat on the UN's human rights council. Its three-year term will start on January 1, 2020.

In June, UN human rights boss Michelle Bachelet visited Venezuela, where she met with Maduro and representatives of various political groups. On the results of the visit, Bachelet issued a report expressing her concerns over the critical healthcare and economic crises and the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.