Credit: Wikipedia / VOA Public Domain / Venezuelan protests in Caracas  23 January 2019

By Gary Raynaldo  /  DIPLOMATIC TIMES

“We stand with the people of Venezuela now through their darkest days, and we’ll be proud to continue to stand with them as they restore their country’s proud legacy of liberation and democracy.”  Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Cuba and Venezuela in the Western Hemisphere Affairs Carrie Filipetti made the remark last Friday during a teleconference press briefing with journalists regarding the human rights situation in Venezuela.  Filipetti was joined by Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Scott Busby, who painted a dire human rights picture under Venezuela leader Nicholas Maduro’s regime.   “Nicolas Maduro and his cronies are committing egregious human rights violations against the Venezuelan people.  They are depriving them of their fundamental freedoms through systemic repression, torture, and intimidation.  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet underscored this in Geneva last week when she presented her update to the July 5th report on the human rights abuses of the former Maduro regime to the UN Human Rights Council,” Busby stated.

Credit: U.S. Department of State/  Senior U.S. Department of State Bureau Official Scott Busby and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cuba and Venezuela Carrie Filipetti 

Busby noted a section of the  report that contends  that Maduro regime’s special action forces killed at least 5,287 people in 2018, and at a minimum another 1,569 people by mid-May 2019.  “Torture and extrajudicial killings continue, including 57 alleged new cases of presumed deaths since the July report.  The high commissioner’s update coming two months after the chilling expose of the former regime’s horrors demonstrates the former regime’s continued disinterest in safeguarding the interests of the Venezuelan people.”

Filipetti stated that:  “It’s an important moment for us to discuss Venezuela.  Since Interim President Juan Guaido assumed constitutional leadership in Venezuela, we’ve seen a number of key milestones.  Fifty-five countries recognize his leadership and the leadership of the National Assembly.  The region has invoked the Rio Treaty for the first time in 18 years, signaling its commitment to pursue concrete actions for a collective response.   But we will continue to work with our allies and the 55 countries who have recognized Interim President Guaido to support the people of Venezuela through this humanitarian and political crisis.”

Venezuela has been embroiled in political crisis since opposition leader Guaidó proclaimed he is the legitimate president of the country in January 2019 in a bid to oust President Maduro.  The US immediately throw its full support behind Guaidó who called for Maduro to cede power. Many Maduro supporters characterized Guaidó’s action as a coup d’etat backed by the US.  A political stalemate between pro-Maduro and pro-Guaido supports developed after Guaido’s failed coup in May.