The ICJ today addressed the UN Human Rights Council in the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The statement reads as follows:
“Madam President,
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) welcomes the report of the High Commissioner (A/HRC/47/55) and salutes the cooperation between her Office and the Venezuelan authorities.
However, the ICJ is deeply concerned about the lack of information concerning the nature of the engagement between the OCHR and the authorities. The ICJ requests to the High Commissioner that her Office strengthen the cooperation over the basis of wide-open transparency and participation with international and domestic civil society.
Over the years, the ICJ has documented the lack of judicial independence in the country and its effects on the absence of protection of civil, economic, political, social and cultural rights. The ICJ has identified laws and practice that have completely undermined judicial independence, including corruption, lack of security of tenure for judges, the high number of provisory judges, and the undue pressure judges suffer from inside and outside the judiciary to rule in a pre-determined way.
The ICJ would like to ask the High Commissioner to elaborate on the compliance of Venezuelan authorities with her previous recommendations, especially in relation to upholding human rights within counter-terrorism courts and military tribunals, and of strengthening judicial independence.
Thank you.”
Contact:
Massimo Frigo, ICJ UN Representative, e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org, t: +41797499949
