United Nations

FNF’s continuing fight for freedom in Nicaragua and Venezuela elevated to the United Nations

Over the past few months and years, FNF has committed to defending freedom and democracy in both Nicaragua and Venezuela. Whether by supporting human rights defenders, or calling out repressive regimes for their growing oppression of their people, FNF has continuously stood by our pro-democracy partners, locally and internationally. It is in this vein that the Human Rights Hub supported the organization of a high-level side-event on the situation of human rights during the 57th session of the Human Rights Council.

On September 18, FNF’s Human Rights Hub co-sponsored a widely attended side-event at the Palais des Nations to discuss the most recent developments and the findings of both special mandates: the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela. The side-event was planned alongside partners such as the Venezuelan NGO Aula Abierta, the regional network RIDHE (Reseau International des Droits Humains Europe), the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and People in Need (PIN).

The objectives of the event were to provide a reflection space to review the mandates’ scope, assess their cooperation with similar mandates and procedures launched by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and to advocate for the renewal of fact-finding mission in Venezuela, especially in these difficult times. Panelists included the Chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Venezuela, the Chairperson of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, the Acting Executive Secretary and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) as well as two human rights defenders from both countries.

The event succeeded in driving momentum to support these monitoring and documentation mechanisms and in bringing together experts and diplomats. Attending Member States included Belgium (on behalf of Luxembourg and the Netherlands), Canada, Chile, China, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. The European Union also attended the session.

The IACHR visit: reinforcing a vital collaboration between regional and international mechanisms

As part of this collaboration, the Hub supported the mission of Mrs. Maria Claudia Pulido, the Acting Executive Secretary of the IACHR to attend the panel and conduct bilateral meetings to further the work of the Commission and their collaboration with UN mechanisms.

Speaking from the panel, Mrs. Pulido provided an overview of the human rights violations documented by the IACHR. In Nicaragua in 2023, the Special Monitoring Mechanism was able to verify and document 355 extrajudicial executions, more than 2,000 arbitrary detentions, the exile and stripping of nationality of at least 357 people, and the cancellation of the legal status of more than 5,000 organizations. The aftermath of the election in Venezuela, in which serious allegations of electoral fraud were made, also resulted in verified and documented extrajudicial execution of 23 individuals, 1,674 arbitrary arrests, including more than 100 children and adolescents, and the stripping of passports of 36 human rights defenders and journalists.

Mrs. Pulido also drew comparisons between the two authoritarian governments that included the lack of separation of powers with the balance shifting to the executive, a weakened judiciary, liberticidal legislation, restrictions on academic freedoms and closure of university spaces, fear-mongering and stigmatizing narratives of internal “enemies” and criminalization of freedom of expression.

In parallel, meetings with other Member States and senior leadership at the Human Rights Council and the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights were productive in enhancing cooperation procedures between the regional body and its international counterparts.

As Nicaraguans and Venezuelans continue to fight for their rights and for the establishment of a democratic rule of law in their countries, so too will FNF continue to, unapologetically, support them.  As Mrs. Pulido concluded in her remarks, “Nicaragua and Venezuela must work to cease the repression, respect human rights and return to democratic institutions.”