UN human rights office resumes activities in Venezuela despite Maduro clash
Al Jazeera
Commissioner Volker Turk reiterated he is ‘deeply concerned’ about the violence following Venezuela’s contested election.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has announced that his office is starting to resume its activities in Venezuela, despite past clashes with the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
High Commissioner Volker Turk made the announcement on Friday at a meeting with the UN Human Rights Council, where he reiterated his concerns about conditions in Venezuela, particularly after its most recent presidential race.
“My office has begun to resume its operations in the country in recent weeks. My hope is that we will be able to restore our full presence,” Turk said in his opening remarks, pitching his organisation as a “bridge-builder”.
The UN human rights office had previously established a presence in the country in 2019.
But that changed in February, when Maduro’s administration accused the office of plotting with opposition members to undermine the government — an allegation made without proof.
