In Venezuela, the regime of Nicholas Maduro has stepped up its assault on human rights. It has arrested one of the country’s most prominent human rights activists and ordered the local United Nations office of human rights to close.
On February 9, Rocio San Miguel was detained by authorities as she and her daughter were waiting for a flight to Miami. San Miguel is head of the non-governmental organization Control Ciudadano, which focuses on issues concerning the armed forces, human rights, and security. The office of Venezuela’s attorney general said San Miguel was being charged with treason, conspiracy, and terrorism. Several members of her family were also detained and held for days before being released and told they could not leave the country.
National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the United States is “deeply concerned” by San Miguel’s arrest. He noted it comes at a time when President Maduro “needs to meet the commitments that he made back in the fall about how they’re going to treat civil society political activists, as well as opposition parties” - a reference to the Barbados Agreement, signed by Maduro and opposition parties in October, in which Maduro pledged to work toward free and fair elections in 2024, including by allowing opposition leaders to run for office.
Local and international human rights organizations condemned the arrest of Rocio San Miguel. The UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “deep concern” over her detention and urged her immediate release and respect for her right to legal defense. Days later, the Maduro regime ordered the local UN office of human rights to close and ordered its staff to leave Venezuela within 72 hours.
In October, when President Maduro signed the Barbados agreement, there was glimmer of hope that Venezuelans could restore democratic rule in their country. Since then, however, the Maduro regime has arrested journalists, civil society activists, and former members of the military. Venezuela’s leading opposition candidate, Maria Corin Machado has been disqualified from running in the presidential election.
The United States, as National Security Adviser Kirby said, is watching developments in Venezuela “very very closely.” The United States stands with the Venezuelan people in their desire to restore democratic governance and calls on the Maduro regime to release all political prisoners and return to the roadmap established by the Barbados Agreement.
