The UN Fact-Finding Mission in Venezuela stated on Wednesday that despite some limited improvements in the human rights situation in the South American country, institutions involved in rights violations and repression remained intact.
Sofia Macher, chair of the UN mission said: “The reduction in some of the harshest forms of repression is notable, but it does not yet amount in any way to a transformation of the system that made them possible.”
Based on a report documenting the development of the human rights situation in Venezuela between September 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026, following the US military attack and the capture of ousted President Nicolás Maduro, the UN mission found that human rights abuses persisted, allegedly perpetrated by civilian armed groups known as “colectivos” that act as the unofficial security force and political enforcer for the ruling party.
On the other hand, the mission noted a significant decline in long-term detentions as well as enforced disappearances. It also commended the release of hundreds of Venezuelan political prisoners, which created opportunities for public gatherings and civil society participation. However, it pointed out that the lack of official and verifiable information made it impossible to precisely determine who had been released, the whereabouts of those still detained, and their legal status.
Additionally, the mission highlighted that these improvements have not been accompanied by the required institutional reforms to ensure a sustained improvement in the human rights situation. It detailed that laws that have been used to criminalise dissent remained in force, the country’s security forces retained the same structure and practices, and no measures have been implemented to dismantle the “colectivos” that, according to the mission, have been involved in intimidation and violence at the community level.
Furthermore, the UN Fact-Finding Mission warned that hundreds of people remain exposed to severe detention conditions, with restricted access to clean water and healthcare, which in some cases resulted in the deaths of detainees. The Mission also reported patterns of ill-treatment and torture in certain prison facilities. Consequently, it called on authorities to implement decisive actions to ensure accountability and to adopt a victim-centered transitional justice framework, urging them to reverse Venezuela’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Relatedly, the UN mission also called on influential actors to increase efforts to back and advance human rights reforms in Venezuela and to ensure that their policies do not contribute to human rights abuses or facilitate the commission of international crimes.
Following the capture of the former Venezuelan president, which the UN Secretary-General described as a “dangerous precedent, there have been growing concerns about human rights and the broader humanitarian situation in Venezuela as well as the decline of the rule of law and political stability.
Despite the implementation of some measures by the interim government to strengthen state institutions and improve the civil space, such as expanding the judicial nomination committee and enacting an amnesty law, the UN has called on Venezuelan authorities to ensure that the appointment of the country’s Attorney General and Ombudsperson is transparent.
Similarly, Amnesty International has called for an impartial application of the amnesty law, following reports that courts have selectively applied the legislation by refusing to release political prisoners without explanation.
