Human rights Venezuela. Fleeing towards freedom

Translated by Giulia Maffeis

Human rights in Venezuela, after Nicolás Maduro's re-election in late July, are being victim of widespread and systematic violations, affecting freedom of expression, political participation, personal security, and the right to dignified living conditions. The re-election of Chavez’s successor, contested and boycotted by the opposition, was a negative turning point for the respect of human rights in the country. Voter turnout was 57.9%, with Maduro receiving 51.95% of the vote—a significantly less compared to the previous election. The government has intensified political repression, arresting many dissidents, adding to the over 800 political opponents jailed between 2014 and 2021, according to the Foro Penal.

I diritti umani in Venezuela dopo la rielezione di Nicolás Maduro a fine luglio sono attraversati da violazioni sistematiche e diffuse, che coinvolgono la libertà di espressione, la partecipazione politica, la sicurezza personale e il diritto a condizioni di vita dignitose. La rielezione del delfino di Chavez, contestata e boicottata dall'opposizione, ha segnato un punto di svolta negativo per il rispetto dei diritti umani nel Paese. L’affluenza alle urne è stata pari al 57,9%, con Maduro che ha ottenuto il 51,95% dei consensi, in netta discesa rispetto alla tornata precedente. Il governo ha intensificato la repressione politica, arrestando molti dissidenti, che si aggiungono agli oltre 800 oppositori politici incarcerati tra il 2014 e il 2021 secondo il Foro Penal.

Since 2013, more than 115 media outlets have been shut down or ceased operations due to government threats, direct censorship, or lack of financial resources. In 2020 alone, twenty independent media outlets were closed, and multiple journalists were arrested for reporting on the country’s critical conditions or for taking clear stances against the regime. Violence against protesters is another clear violation of human rights: it is estimated that over 9,000 citizens have been arrested in the last decade, many were victims of torture and abuse in prison, while other sources indicate that more than 5,000 people were killed between 2018 and 2019 in security operations called criminal police interventions. A 2020 report by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela accused the Maduro government of being primarily responsible for serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances.

Concerning torture and mistreatment of citizens, Amnesty International reported that Venezuelan authorities use electric shocks, asphyxiation, and sexual violence. These methods have been used not only to suppress political dissent but also to terrorize communities judged as potentially dangerous to the regime, such as social activists and human rights defenders.

The human rights crisis is worsened by the mass exodus of the Venezuelan population. According to UNHCR data, by the end of 2023, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans—25% of the population—had fled the country, making Venezuela the site of the second-largest migration crisis in the world. Every day, roughly 5,000 people cross borders under extreme danger, looking for refuge in countries like Colombia and Peru.

This mass migration, made worse by the economic crisis that started in 2013 with a 75% GDP collapse over eight years, is placing enormous pressure on the healthcare and social systems of neighboring countries, struggling to adequately meet the rising demand for assistance. Hyperinflation peaked at 130% in 2018, pushing 94% of Venezuelans below the poverty line and 76.6% into extreme poverty, according to the ENCOVI 2021 report. 

The current migration crisis is estimated to involve around 200,000 Italo-Venezuelans, though they are not showing up in official data. Of these, thousands have arrived in Italy in the last ten years. The Piedmont Region serves as a case study. About 3,000 Italo-Venezuelans have arrived in the region in critical conditions, with an expected increase in arrivals.

The vice president of the Regional Human Rights and Civil Rights Committee, Giampiero Leo, stated that "the first emigrants to Italy had more resources, but they became very poor. They lose their original professions, being forced to take on very humble jobs. They are children of Italians who worked all their lives in Venezuela and are now returning to Italy, but here they have no protection because they don't have a residence nor Italian documents. We must give voice to a far-away land that is a friend of Italy, where human rights are trampled on every day with the silent complicity of the international community. Italians emigrated to South America more than a hundred years ago and found a hospitable place: today, it is right for Italy to do its part by welcoming the descendants of those Italians who left looking for fortune."

The help of fellow Italians in Italy, as with all migrant communities, is a strategic asset in welcoming these people because "the integration possibilities for Italo-Venezuelans are low. Many are highly educated, but academic qualifications recognized with the CIMEA conversion system takes time and money. Women work as caregivers, but it is more difficult for men to find stable jobs. Some are qualified as nurses, helping to fill the turnover of doctors in nursing homes. The most vulnerable —minors and the elderly—are the hardest hit. It’s important to organize fundraisers for surgeries because, in Venezuela, an operation costs around 400 euros in proportion, while the average salary is 5 euros per month," explained Maria Requeña, president of the Venezuela in Piemonte association.

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