The UN Special Rapporteur, Alena Douha, through her report called on all States (the United States and the European Union) to review and lift the sanctions imposed against Venezuela, respecting international law.
“The Rapporteur asks all States to review and lift the selective ones in accordance with the principles of international law, the rule of law, human rights and the law of refugees, to guarantee the possibility that officials of the State of Venezuela represent the State on the basis of the principle of sovereign equality of the States, and that guarantee the rights of the affected persons to the presumption of innocence, due process guarantees, access to justice and other fundamental rights ”, reads the report.
"They have exacerbated the pre-existing economic and humanitarian situation (...), which has had a devastating effect on the entire Venezuelan population, especially those in extreme poverty," he said during the press conference where he read the report before the media. .
Also in the report, the application of sanctions on an extraterritorial basis was classified as inadmissible and urges the United States Government “to put an end to the national emergency in relation to Venezuela, review and lift the sector sanctions against the public sector of Venezuela, review and lift secondary sanctions against third States and refrain from imposing sanctions on the supply of diesel that would provoke a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions ”.
He recalled that preliminary and continuous evaluations of the humanitarian impact must be carried out in the course of any unilateral activity, "since no good intention justifies the violation of fundamental human rights as" collateral damage. "
Likewise, during his speech, he called upon all interlocutors (including States, international organizations, banks, private companies and civil society) to avoid coercion, written or oral threats or any other act.
Douhan asserted that the coercive measures imposed by the United States (USA) against Venezuela, slowed the development of the country, highlighting that before the measures 76% of the income was allocated to social investment and that currently, according to information Venezuelan authorities, the government's income has been reduced by 99% and that the country currently lives on 1% of its income prior to the sanctions.
He stressed that the tightening of sanctions that the country has been facing since 2015, undermines the possible positive impact of the current reforms, as well as the capacity of the State to maintain infrastructure and implement social projects.
The expert called for agreements to release Venezuelan funds blocked abroad to buy medicines and vaccines through institutions such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) or the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The attempts, Douhan noted, have been "unsuccessful," he said.
