Repression continues in Venezuela in the face of ‘appalling’ human rights violations

This article is published in association with United Nations.

In Venezuela’s El Rodeo maximum security prison, some of those detained for political reasons are subject to forced intubation – and prolonged confinement in a sealed underground cistern. 

In the Fuerte Guaicaipuro military facility, prisoners have been confined in pit-like cells dug below ground level, exposed to cold, food deprivation and other degrading practices the UN qualifies as torture.

These observations from the independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela published on Tuesday are part of a broader finding: following the US military rendition of then-President Nicolás Maduro in early January, State institutions responsible for repression, gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity remain fundamentally intact. 

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Despite some small improvements since the change of government at the top – most notably a significant decline in long-term detentions, enforced disappearances, and the release of hundreds of political prisoners – Venezuelans continue to endure severe human rights violations. 

No institutional reforms 

The independent Human Rights Council appointed investigators in Venezuela found that numerous laws used to criminalise opposition remain in force, and the country’s extensive intelligence services and security forces retain essentially the same structures, policies and practices. 

No steps have been taken to disarm or dismantle the “colectivos” (pro-Government civilian armed groups) who have been the source of pervasive intimidation, violence and human rights abuses towards communities. 

At least 19 officials previously identified by the Mission for their involvement in gross violations remain in, or have been reassigned to, key positions – while past human rights violations and crimes remain unpunished.

Journalists and other civil society actors also continue to be obstructed in their daily work. 

“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,” said Sofía Macher, Chair of the Mission. 

Arbitrary arrests 

Between 1 September 2025 and 29 July 2026, civil society organizations recorded at least 214 arbitrary detentions for political reasons, though 94 per cent of them occurred before the end of 2025. 

After 3 January and the US capture of former President Maduro, the mission identified a recurrent pattern of short-term arbitrary arrests aimed at intimidating opposition activists, journalists, and other civil society actors.

Although the releases of dissidents following the US intervention have significantly reduced the number of political prisoners, non-governmental organizations estimate that between 379 and 500 people remain in detention – with the absence of official, transparent and verifiable information making it difficult to converge on a more precise number. 

Torture continues

The mission documented torture and ill-treatment towards people detained for political reasons. It found 64 new cases of torture after 3 January alone, indicating that these practices remain widespread. 

It also found that hundreds of people detained in State facilities are deprived of access to safe drinking water, adequate food, medicine and healthcare, leading to many in-detention deaths. 

Víctor Quero Navas, a street vendor arrested for ambiguous reasons in January 2025, has become the face of the repression of Venezuelan detainees. 

He died in custody while subjected to enforced disappearance, from acute respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism.

His mother, Carmen Teresa Navas, spent 16 months searching for him across detention centres, courthouses, public offices and even a morgue, and was told only in May 2026 that her son had died in custody nearly a year earlier. 

Ten days after learning of his death, she too passed away.

“We call on the State authorities to take decisive steps towards accountability and to adopt a victim-centered transitional justice framework,” urged María Eloisa Quintero, one the mission’s experts. 

“Venezuela should also reverse its withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and cooperate fully with the Court and other international human rights mechanisms,” she added.

“Years of entrenched impunity must give way to accountability.”