Joint Statement on the Situation in Venezuela

The following is the text of a joint statement by the Governments of Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Kingdom of Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.

Thirty-three countries plus the European Union and Organization of American States gathered on the margins of the UN General Assembly to discuss our grave concerns about the urgent situation in Venezuela and reiterate our support for respecting democratic principles and upholding human rights there.

We applaud the Venezuelan people for their participation in the July 28 presidential election despite significant challenges. Over 12 million people went to the polls and exercised their right to vote. Their will, as expressed at the ballot box, must be respected. Yet nearly two months have passed since the election, and calls for electoral transparency from both Venezuelans and the international community remain unanswered. International election observers have documented their serious concerns about the transparency and integrity of the electoral process, in particular the refusal of the National Electoral Commission to release detailed and independently verifiable results from polling stations, as required.

We remain gravely concerned by the widespread and ongoing repression as well as reported human rights abuses and violations following the election. These abuses include arbitrary arrests and detentions (including of children), deaths, denials of fair trial guarantees, and intimidation tactics against the democratic opposition and other members of civil society.  In the context of violent repression against opposition members, a politically motivated arrest warrant issued on September 3 for presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who according to publicly available electoral records won the most votes in the July 28 election, forced him to depart the country.

We call for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained without respect for fair trial guarantees. It is critical that Venezuelans be allowed to express their political opinions peacefully, including through the exercise of freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, without fear of reprisal. We call for an end to the use of excessive force, political violence, and harassment against the opposition and civil society.

We also call for the immediate return of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Venezuela and the necessary conditions for it to fully carry out its mandate. In addition, we call on Venezuela to uphold and comply with its commitments under International Law, particularly as a party to the Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum of 1954 by affording safe passage to the six asylum seekers currently residing in the official residence of the Republic of Argentina and allowing them to leave Venezuelan territory.

Now is the time for Venezuelan political leaders to begin constructive and inclusive discussions on a transition with guarantees for both sides to resolve the country’s political impasse and restore democratic institutions peacefully in accordance with Venezuelan law, as well as the will of the people as expressed through their votes on July 28.  We stand with the millions of Venezuelans who continue to risk their lives and well-being to demand a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future for themselves and their country.