The global community must clearly state that the United States’ intervention in Venezuela constitutes a violation of international law and undermines global security, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.
US forces reportedly ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a surprise operation over the weekend. Maduro now faces four criminal charges in the United States, including narco-terrorism, while Venezuela’s vice president has been sworn in as interim president.
The OHCHR stressed that the operation breached a core principle of international law, which prohibits states from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
“This operation undermined a fundamental principle of international law,” OHCHR Chief Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters. “The international community needs to come together with one voice to insist on that.”
She warned that the military intervention should not be viewed as a human rights victory, stating that it weakens the international security framework and makes all countries less safe.
“It sends a signal that the powerful can do whatever they like,” Shamdasani said.
Emphasising the right to self-determination, she noted that Venezuela’s future must be decided solely by its own people. She cautioned that increased instability and militarisation would only worsen the country’s already fragile human rights situation.
