UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Saturday urged Venezuela to reform its political and judicial systems and release arbitrarily detained prisoners. He made his comments at the end of his two-day official visit to Venezuela.
During his visit, Turkey met with high-ranking officials, civil society representatives, victims and human rights defenders.
From what you have seen and heard, it is clear that the Venezuelan society is protesting due to a great lack of trust between the government and the people. He said much work is needed to overcome these divisions and rebuild the social contract among Venezuelans.
Speaking from the capital Caracas at the end of his visit, Turkey said Venezuela is facing many political, economic and social challenges. However, in their discussion, there seems to be a general recognition that the country’s justice and security system needs to be reformed.
“I have heard reports of people being arbitrarily arrested and tortured and of family members killed by security forces and peaceful demonstrations. “One woman became emotional when she told how her sister was arrested, raped and tortured two years ago,” he said.
In a meeting with President Nicolas Maduro and government ministers, Turkey demanded the release of all those arbitrarily detained.
He also raised concerns about the widespread and lengthy use of pre-trial detention. He told them that a system that denied civil liberties was open to abuse and needed to be reformed.
“I promise that complaints of torture will be dealt with decisively, fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice. … My team here makes regular visits to detention centers, but as I suggested to the authorities, this should include all detention centers, including those run by the military,” he said.
After meeting with Maduro on Friday, Turkey publicly expressed Maduro’s readiness to work on reforming the justice system. On his part, he said that he has provided the knowledge and support of the office for further improvement.