Venezuelan authorities have continued to commit, and failed to investigate, grave human rights violations stemming from political persecution following the 2024 presidential elections, according to a United Nations fact-finding mission report released on Monday.

The report found that violations continued in 2025 and have heavily repressed Venezuelan civil society across the political spectrum. With a lack of government investigations, the report concluded that the international community stands as the last justice-seeking authority available to victims.

Experts presented new evidence of 25 protest-related deaths on July 29-30, 2024, a dozen of which reportedly involved state security forces. At a protest in the city of Maracay, the national guard and the army fired live ammunition into a crowd of demonstrators.

The committee also investigated the deaths of five detainees and concluded that the government had violated due diligence obligations regarding their health. The findings conflicted with the Venezuelan Office of the Attorney General’s claims that state authorities were not involved in the deaths.

Further human rights violations were detailed relating to the deprivation of liberty, as authorities only gradually released 2,006 of 2,220 people detained in the aftermath of the 2024 elections, while at the same time arresting roughly 200 more on grounds of perceived political opposition. A record number of foreign nationals were reportedly held incommunicado, amounting to enforced disappearances, and many children aged 13 through 17 were detained and mistreated. Experts additionally alleged that authorities dehumanized and degraded detainees, many of whom were sexually tortured during detention.

In November 2024, the Venezuelan government under President Nicolás Maduro adopted laws that aimed at restricting civil society. The Simón Bolívar Law enabled the government to deprive any potential opposition members of their civil rights, leading to “civil death,” while the NGO Financing Law led to the prohibition of non-governmental organizations–comparable to the “foreign agent laws” implemented in Russia and Georgia. Both Venezuelan laws have been heavily criticized by human rights and democracy organizations.