137. The case of the Programa Venezolano de Educación y Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea), a civil society organization which has regularly engaged with the UN, was included in the 2019 report of the Secretary-General, following its cooperation with OHCHR’s March 2019 visit to Venezuela (A/HRC/42/30, Annex I, para. 115). On 11 July 2019, following the release of OHCHR’s report, a high-level Government official rejected the report on his Twitter account and stated that Provea was one of the report’s sources. He encouraged the National Constituent Assembly to “legislate without fear the work of NGOs in Venezuela,” to “determine the origin of their funding,” and their “false pro-human rights missions.”
138. Further, on 19 February 2020, the President of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) announced in the weekly public television programme “Con el Mazo Dando” that the NCA would initiate a revision of laws on foreign funding of NGOs and private individuals, specifically referring to Provea. This public reference to Provea was made a week before the beginning of the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where Provea’s participation was made known on social media. (see also A/HRC/39/41, Annex I, para. 120).

According to information received by OHCHR, during the reporting period several NGOs and their staff included in previous reports have continued to be exposed to on-line attacks and stigmatization from Government-affiliated online portals in connection with or following their cooperation with the UN. The NGOs concerned are Provea, the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS) and Foro Penal. These NGOs have been portrayed as conspiring against the country, encouraging an agenda of aggression against the country, and of publishing false accusations.