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GENEVA / ZEID VENEZUELA
STORY: GENEVA / ZEID VENEZUELA
TRT: 02:39
SOURCE: UNTV CH / OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28, 30 AUGUST 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RECENT
RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
UNTV CH - 30 AUGUST 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“It is clear that the policies pursued by the authorities in their response to the protests has been at the cost of Venezuelans’ rights and freedoms. The right to peaceful assembly was systematically violated as you just heard, with protesters and people identified as political opponents detained in great numbers, and as indicated, the report also identifies serious violations of due process and patterns of ill treatment which in some cases amounted to torture.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The Government must ensure there are prompt, independent and effective investigations of the human rights violations allegedly committed by the security forces and of the abuses involving armed ‘colectivos’ or violent protestors.”
6. Med shot, journalists
7. Close up, OHCHR report
OHCHR - 28 AUGUST 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
8. Med shot, human rights officer walking
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Hernan Vales, UN Human Rights Office:
“We believe that these violations, because of its extensive, generalized and systematic nature, are not the excesses of isolated officials, they are not isolated illegal acts, they respond to, probably a policy from the government to repress demonstrations and to instill fear in people so they would not demonstrate any further.”
10. Close up, Vales typing
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Hernan Vales, UN Human Rights Office:
“The High Commissioner is also asking the opposition groups to condemn all acts of violence, especially condemn acts of violence by violent demonstrators. There have been many cases of human rights abuses by violent demonstrators as well.”
12. Med shot, Vales typing
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Hernan Vales, UN Human Rights Office:
“The attorney general began investigations from 1 April to 31 July on 124 deaths. We believe that of those 124 cases, 46 cases are attributable to the Government directly, 27 cases are attributable to armed pro-government groups, called armed collectives, while in 51 cases it is unclear who is the perpetrator.”
14. Tilt up, Vales typing
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, today (30 Aug) said it was “clear” that the policies pursued by the authorities in their response to protests in Venezuela “has been at the cost of Venezuelans’ rights and freedoms.”
The High Commissioner said “the right to peaceful assembly was systematically violated” with protesters and people identified as political opponents “detained in great numbers.”
He said the new report by the UN Human Rights Office on the situation in Venezuela, “also identifies serious violations of due process and patterns of ill treatment which in some cases amounted to torture.”
Zeid said that “the government must ensure there are prompt, independent and effective investigations of the human rights violations allegedly committed by the security forces and of the abuses involving armed ‘colectivos’ or violent protestors.”
The report indicates that extensive human rights violations and abuses have been committed in the wake of anti-Government protests in Venezuela and point to the existence of a policy to repress political dissent and instill fear in the population to curb demonstrations.
Human rights officer Hernan Vales, said “we believe that these violations, because of its extensive, generalized and systematic nature, are not the excesses of isolated officials, they are not isolated illegal acts, they respond to, probably a policy from the government to repress demonstrations and to instill fear in people so they would not demonstrate any further.”
Vales said the High Commissioner is “asking the opposition groups to condemn all acts of violence, especially condemn acts of violence by violent demonstrators” as “there have been many cases of human rights abuses by violent demonstrators as well.”
The human rights officer said “the attorney general began investigations from 1 April to 31 July on 124 deaths. We believe that of those 124 cases, 46 cases are attributable to the Government directly, 27 cases are attributable to armed pro-government groups, called armed collectives, while in 51 cases it is unclear who is the perpetrator.”
The report calls on the UN Human Rights Council to consider taking measures to prevent the human rights situation in Venezuela from worsening. Venezuela is currently a Council member.
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