Iran Press/America: The mass rally in Caracas held in support of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday came after the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, published a report on the state of human rights in the Latin American country.
The report accused Venezuelan security forces of extrajudicial executions, torture, enforced disappearances, and other rights violations in recent years, Iran Press reported citing PressTV.
Maduro's supporters in Caracas, holding banners and chanting slogans against Bachelet, rejected her report as biased, manipulated and pro-imperialist.
The protesters also said the UN high commissioner had betrayed Venezuelans and other Latin American people by issuing such a report.
Reaction to Michelle Bachelet report
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has been slammed before for a partisan report on Venezuela which makes no mention of violence by the far-right opposition to Nicolas Maduro.
It instead relies on “unverified allegations by opposition politicians and advocates of regime change,” according to former UN special rapporteur Alfred de Zayas, Morning Star reported.
Last month, Bachelet visited Venezuela and met with Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido before the release of the report.
The Venezuelan president also dismissed the UN document as “just another report” dictated by the US State Department, noting that it was drafted by people who were enemies of Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution.
Rights groups claim some 700 people, including about 100 members of the military, are detained in Venezuela for political reasons. The government denies it has put anyone behind bars for such causes.
Venezuela political crisis
Venezuela plunged into a political crisis in January when Guaido abruptly proclaimed himself “interim president.” The elected government of Maduro has rejected the self-proclamation, but it has been negotiating with Guaido’s representatives to resolve the political crisis in the country.
Washington has confiscated Venezuela’s state oil assets based in the US to channel them to Guaido.
Guaido orchestrated a failed coup against the government on April 30 with backing from Washington. Maduro’s government, however, has not proceeded to arrest Guaido despite the coup attempt. 203/211/201
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