The introduction to the most recent report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (FFM) presents a phrase as forceful as it is chilling: “The Mission considers that the repression unleashed since July 29, 2024, is an exacerbated continuation of the plan to annihilate individuals who are opponents or perceived as such, which has resulted in the commission of serious human rights violations and international crimes, constituting crimes against humanity of politically motivated persecution.” Over 172 pages, the FFM documents this assertion with emblematic patterns and cases in the areas of arbitrary detention, arbitrary deprivation of life, enforced disappearance, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence. The report dedicates one section to the situation of children and adolescents and another to civic space. This new FFM report focuses on the analysis of the human rights situation in Venezuela in the context of the July 28, 2024, presidential election and the repression that took place months before and after the election, culminating in fraud verified by independent international observers. The FFM also devotes some paragraphs to what it describes as “significant changes in the military leadership,” providing context for the adjustments to repression in the months before and after the election. These changes are neither isolated nor fortuitous events and make it easier to identify responsibility within the chain of command for the crimes against humanity documented in the report.
This extensive report pays special attention to the role of armed groups and announces an additional report on the Bolivarian National Guard. Furthermore, it should be noted that, in preparing it, the FFM conducted 237 interviews and analyzed 364 documentary evidence, while at times relying on only one support person for its work. Thus, the Mission recalls that “Of 11 assigned positions, the mission had eight, and only three remained for the entire investigative year. For example, of the five assigned investigative positions, the Mission had only two, and for some months, only one.” This is a herculean task with minimal support.
As in previous years, the Mission fulfilled the commitments arising from the mandate granted to it by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 57/36 of 2024. However, the same cannot be said of the commitments made by the Council itself.
The FFM fulfilled its mandate, but not the states that the Council had requested to provide the necessary resources in a timely manner to accomplish its task. Undoubtedly, the UN is facing a serious financial crisis stemming from decisions made by the US government, which has led to an overall 35% reduction in most of the multilateral organization’s operations, but 1 or 3 of 11 posts is far from that 35%.
In the interactive dialogue on September 22, many states again referred to the issue of detained foreigners, including the European Union, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Peru, and the Czech Republic. Argentina read a statement on behalf of several countries, but Colombia was not among them, which withdrew at the last minute, despite having the highest number of nationals arbitrarily detained, many of them held incommunicado.
Some voices were raised to express support for the Mission’s work and demand Venezuela’s cooperation, but that support must be reflected in actions. As expert Francisco Cox rightly warned, “Given the subservience of justice to the executive branch, the only hope of finding justice for the victims in Venezuela lies in international bodies.” It’s time for those same states to demand minimum operational and financial requirements so that the FFM can continue its key work documenting crimes against humanity in Venezuela and facilitate future accountability.