En español abajo
GENEVA (27 November 2015) – In the wake of the assassination of a Venezuelan opposition leader, Luis Diaz, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Friday called on Venezuelan authorities to ensure that political opponents, human rights defenders and others facing threats in relation to their work are adequately protected.
When Diaz was shot, he was sharing the stage with the campaigner and activist Lilian Tintori, who is married to jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. It is not clear whether or not she was also a target, but she has allegedly been the subject of other attacks and threats. The detention of Lopez, who received a prison sentence of just under 14 years, was declared arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in August 2014.
“As I reminded President Maduro during his recent visit to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, a sovereign State must defend and protect individuals who criticize and question the policies and practices of the State. Democracy suffers greatly when the pre-election environment is marred by violence, threats and intimidation,” the High Commissioner said.
The UN Human Rights Committee, which has recently reviewed Venezuela’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, expressed concerns about intimidation, threats and attacks against journalists, human rights defenders and lawyers.
“I urge the authorities to ensure that the investigation into Luis Diaz’s murder is independent and impartial and brings to justice the perpetrators, as well as the masterminds behind the assassination,” Zeid said. “All sides must refrain from violence and violent rhetoric in the run up to the elections.”
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«Como le recordé al Presidente Maduro durante su reciente visita al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en Ginebra, un Estado soberano debe defender y proteger a las personas que critican y cuestionan las políticas y prácticas del Estado. La democracia sufre mucho cuando el ambiente preelectoral se deteriora por la violencia, las amenazas y la intimidación», dijo el Alto Comisionado.
El Comité de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, que ha revisado recientemente el cumplimiento por parte de Venezuela del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, expresó preocupación por las intimidaciones, amenazas y ataques contra periodistas, defensores de derechos humanos y abogados.
«Insto a las autoridades a garantizar que la investigación del asesinato de Luis Díaz sea independiente e imparcial, y que lleve ante la justicia no solo a quienes lo perpetraron, sino también a los autores intelectuales de este asesinato», dijo Zeid. «Todas las partes deben abstenerse de la violencia y de la retórica violenta en el periodo previo a las elecciones”.
