VENEZUELA PASSES “ANTI-NGO LAW” THAT PUNISHES EFFORTS TO ASSIST VICTIMS AND DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS

“The ‘anti-NGO law’ blatantly violates freedom of association and the right to participate in public affairs, among other rights. It marks yet another crackdown by Nicolás Maduro’s government against those fighting for human rights in Venezuela. This law jeopardizes the very existence and functioning of community, humanitarian and human rights organizations with its ambiguous articles, which could be used to apply excessively harsh penalties and even arbitrarily outlaw organizations en masse

The Venezuelan National Assembly has passed the “Law for the Control, Regularization, Operations and Financing of Non-Governmental and Related Organizations”, known as the “anti-NGO law”, in a continued effort to clamp down on human rights and civil society organizations in the country. In response, Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said:

“The ‘anti-NGO law’ blatantly violates freedom of association and the right to participate in public affairs, among other rights. It marks yet another crackdown by Nicolás Maduro’s government against those fighting for human rights in Venezuela. This law jeopardizes the very existence and functioning of community, humanitarian and human rights organizations with its ambiguous articles, which could be used to apply excessively harsh penalties and even arbitrarily outlaw organizations en masse.

This law jeopardizes the very existence and functioning of community, humanitarian and human rights organizations with its ambiguous articles, which could be used to apply excessively harsh penalties and even arbitrarily outlaw organizations en masse.

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

As with other laws designed to stifle civic space, this law clearly fits within a policy of repression by Venezuelan authorities, who aim to silence those who for years have been denouncing the government’s systematic extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture. These are the same voices that, now more than ever, play a crucial role in documenting the ongoing international crimes in the country”.

“In the current post-election crisis, human rights organizations have led the outcry against dozens of killings and thousands of arbitrary arrests of protesters and activists who are critical of Nicolás Maduro’s government. These organizations have continued to provide humanitarian aid and community support in highly vulnerable areas. The approval of this law aims to keep Venezuelan civil society from continuing to stand alongside victims and providing assistance in ways that authorities are unable to. It is designed to stop these organizations from denouncing the complex humanitarian crisis engulfing the country, as well as the possible crimes against humanity orchestrated by Nicolás Maduro’s government. This law is yet another item on the list of tools of political persecution that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is already investigating”.

The approval of this law aims to keep Venezuelan civil society from continuing to stand alongside victims and providing assistance in ways that authorities are unable to. It is designed to stop these organizations from denouncing the complex humanitarian crisis engulfing the country, as well as the possible crimes against humanity orchestrated by Nicolás Maduro’s government.

Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact press@amnesty.org