human rights defenders who had travelled to Geneva to participate in the review

Cases

Relevant SG report

From Country

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 6.42375

Longitude: -66.58973

From Region

UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report

Individual's/organization's activity: human rights defenders who had travelled to Geneva to participate in the review

Type of rights defended

Reported trigger of reprisal: human rights defenders who had travelled to Geneva to participate in the review

Engagement with UN body

Type of attempted engagement

Reprisal information

On 10 October 2023, during the consideration of the fifth periodic report of Venezuela, experts of the Human Rights Committee noted that they had received reports that human rights defenders who had travelled to Geneva to participate in the review had been interrogated by the National Intelligence Service. The experts recalled that States parties should not engage in reprisals against civil society representatives who cooperated with the human rights treaty bodies and reminded the State party of its obligation to protect the freedom and safety of those individuals once they had returned home (CCPR/C/SR.4040, para. 13).

Types of reprisals suffered

Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?: Yes

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?: No

Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?: No

Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?: No