Wave goodbye.
So it’s come to this. After 11 years of back and forth debate over what the Bolivarian Revolution means for Venezuela, the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has an answer: It’s bad. Real bad. In an amazing 319-page report, the IACHR finally confirms what Venezuelan human rights groups have been denouncing for years:
In this report, the Commission identifies issues that restrict full enjoyment of the human rights enshrined in the American Convention on Human Rights. Among other issues, the IACHR analyzes a series of conditions that indicate the absence of due separation and independence between the branches of government in Venezuela. The Commission also finds that in Venezuela, not all persons are ensured full enjoyment of their rights irrespective of the positions they hold vis-à-vis the government’s policies. The Commission also finds that the State’s punitive power is being used to intimidate or punish people on account of their political opinions. The Commission’s report establishes that Venezuela lacks the conditions necessary for human rights defenders and journalists to carry out their work freely. The IACHR also detects the existence of a pattern of impunity in cases of violence, which particularly affects media workers, human rights defenders, trade unionists, participants in public demonstrations, people held in custody, campesinos (small-scale and subsistence farmers), indigenous peoples, and women.
The executive summary continues on to highlight “a troubling trend of punishments, intimidation, and attacks on individuals in reprisal for expressing their dissent with official policy,” as well as government policies designed to gut the power of elected opposition leaders, the use of criminal charges to suppress public demonstrations, and “issues that affect the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in Venezuela.”
This report is fairly unprecedented and should take the wind out of the sails of those who have argued that the OAS has been too soft on Venezuela. The question now is, will Venezuela stay in the OAS? It’s not a silly question. Chávez will, of course, react vehemently. But more importantly, the release of the report coincides with the fact that Venezuela might be on its way out anyway.
Last year, the country straight-up rejected a ruling by the OAS’ Inter-American Court of Human Rights, arguing the ruling represented “unacceptable intervention in the government and the judiciary.” Rejecting the jurisdiction of the court is a serious violation of Venezuela’s obligations as a member of the OAS, and the court is just now deciding how to respond.
One wonders if a report of this magnitude, scope, and harshness is designed to pave the way for Venezuela’s exit from the OAS.
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