A United Nations (U.N.) human rights expert warned Thursday that Venezuela’s political transition must be rooted in international law and driven by Venezuelans themselves, as the country’s interim authorities released a wave of political prisoners days after U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military operation.
“Protecting rights, addressing past abuses and securing guarantees of nonrepetition is the only pathway to lasting peace and dignity,” said Bernard Duhaime, the U.N. special rapporteur on truth, justice and reparations, calling the moment one of “immense uncertainty” for the oil-rich nation.
Duhaime stressed that any transition must not be imposed from abroad, saying it must be “shaped and owned by the Venezuelan people themselves, free from external interference or pressure.”
He also expressed alarm at the U.S. military intervention that led to Maduro’s arrest, saying the operation “blatantly violates the U.N. Charter.”
U.S. forces launched airstrikes early Saturday on air defense systems and communications sites in northern Venezuela before special operations troops carried out a nighttime raid in Caracas, seizing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
