General situation addressed

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2022-074-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2022
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 6.42375

Longitude: -66.58973

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Venezuela
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • HC-mandated reports
  • OHCHR: OHCHR - General
  • OHCHR: OHCHR Field office
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
28 April 2020, 16 June 2021, 7 July 2021, 27 July 2021, 19 November 2021, 14 January 2022,
Type of record
General situation addressed
Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal
  1. During the reporting period, multiple UN actors have addressed undue restrictions on, harassment, and public vilification of civil society actors inhibiting their engagement with the UN. OHCHR and mandate holders continued to raise concerns about legislation impeding the work of civil society organizations, some of which face criminal prosecution related to their work (A/HRC/47/55, para. 47, VEN 7/2021 and VEN 9/2021), including for implementing UN humanitarian programmes (see annex II). NGOs, journalists, media workers and human rights activists reported limiting or ceasing their activities due to fear of prosecution. Many reported leaving the country owing to rumours of investigations or arrest warrants against them. Others decided to exercise self-censorship (A/HRC/47/55, para. 62).
  2. On 7 July and 19 November 2021, mandate holders addressed various laws in force, or in the process of being adopted affecting the functioning of NGOS, including their cooperation or engagement with the UN (VEN 7/2021 and 8/2021). Noting previous concerns about additional legal and administrative controls introduced on the registration, funding and operation of NGOs, mandate holders addressed the alleged exacerbation of pre-existing obstacles to their work, including the multiplication of registries and inspection mechanisms as well as the lack of information on the sanctions for non-compliance and the restrictions on access to foreign funding (A/HRC/47/55 and VEN 5/2020). They asked the Government about the application of the mentioned regulatory framework and mechanisms to NGOs cooperating with the UN in the implementation of the Humanitarian Response Plan (VEN 8/2021).
Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Venezuela
Reprisal information
  1. During the reporting period, multiple UN actors have addressed undue restrictions on, harassment, and public vilification of civil society actors inhibiting their engagement with the UN. OHCHR and mandate holders continued to raise concerns about legislation impeding the work of civil society organizations, some of which face criminal prosecution related to their work (A/HRC/47/55, para. 47, VEN 7/2021 and VEN 9/2021), including for implementing UN humanitarian programmes (see annex II). NGOs, journalists, media workers and human rights activists reported limiting or ceasing their activities due to fear of prosecution. Many reported leaving the country owing to rumours of investigations or arrest warrants against them. Others decided to exercise self-censorship (A/HRC/47/55, para. 62).
  2. On 7 July and 19 November 2021, mandate holders addressed various laws in force, or in the process of being adopted affecting the functioning of NGOS, including their cooperation or engagement with the UN (VEN 7/2021 and 8/2021). Noting previous concerns about additional legal and administrative controls introduced on the registration, funding and operation of NGOs, mandate holders addressed the alleged exacerbation of pre-existing obstacles to their work, including the multiplication of registries and inspection mechanisms as well as the lack of information on the sanctions for non-compliance and the restrictions on access to foreign funding (A/HRC/47/55 and VEN 5/2020). They asked the Government about the application of the mentioned regulatory framework and mechanisms to NGOs cooperating with the UN in the implementation of the Humanitarian Response Plan (VEN 8/2021).
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Administrative reprisal
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
Yes
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
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?
Yes