The government of Venezuela has ordered the UN’s human rights staff to leave the country within three days, stating that it will conduct a review of its cooperation with the organization.
Venezuela’s government said it had decided to “suspend the activities of the technical advisory office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and carry out a holistic revision of the technical cooperation terms.”
The review is expected to take place over the next 30 days, and the government stated that all UN personnel associated with the office must leave the country within 72 hours.
The office of the commissioner in Caracas directed inquiries to officials in Geneva or New York.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a daily briefing that he had just been made aware of Venezuela’s decision and would need to get back to members of the press.
State television on Wednesday criticized comments by the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, who had just completed a visit to Venezuela.
Fakhri had stated that the government’s food program does not address the root causes of hunger and is vulnerable to political influences.
The government’s statement added that the UN human rights office, which has been operating in Venezuela since 2019, needed to rectify its “colonialist, abusive and violating attitude.”
The office has been accused of playing an “inappropriate role” in the country and supporting impunity for individuals involved in assassination attempts, coups, conspiracies, and other plots, the statement said.
The Venezuelan government frequently accuses members of the political opposition of planning takeovers or the assassination of President Nicolas Maduro, accusations vehemently denied by opposition parties and their members.
The detention and arraignment of defense expert Rocio San Miguel this week has been criticized by the United States, the UN, and others. Some members of her family were also detained, though four have since been released.
Other UN bodies, including the World Food Programme and children’s agency UNICEF, also operate in Venezuela.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
