politics
May 6, 2026
IACHR before the OAS: "In Venezuela, repression remains state policy"
Ordinary Session of the Permanent Council of the OAS, Washington D.C. — May 6, 2026
TL;DR
- The IACHR presented a critical assessment of Venezuela's human rights situation to the OAS, emphasizing ongoing political imprisonment, forced disappearances, and torture.
- The commission stated that these actions are a sustained and deliberate state policy, refuting claims of normalization by the Venezuelan government.
- Between July and December 2024, 2,062 political detentions were documented, and by April 2026, 454 individuals remained detained for political reasons.
- The IACHR noted the persistence of forced disappearances, torture, prolonged communication denial, and lack of medical attention, with at least 18 deaths under state custody.
- The recent Amnesty Law was criticized for its residual clause and for being applied by the same judicial system that sustained arbitrary detentions, resulting in conditional releases rather than full freedom.
- The IACHR demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners, full access to public information regarding detainees, protection against torture, and structural reforms.
- The commission reiterated the urgent need for an *in loco* visit to Venezuela, emphasizing that the issue is not the IACHR's willingness but the Venezuelan state's.
- The IACHR stated it will not normalize repression or accept partial gestures as advances, reaffirming its commitment to the Venezuelan people and the restoration of the rule of law.