OHCHR / VENEZUELA UNITED STATES

UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said, ““The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone.” OHCHR / UNTV CH

• Video Length: 00:02:13
• Production Date: 6 January 2026
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: RAVINA SHAMDASANI
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR; UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS- UNHCHR
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: VENEZUELA
• MAMS Id: 3523116
• Parent Id: 3523116
• Alternate Title: unifeed260106b

Description

STORY: OHCHR / VENEZUELA UNITED STATES
TRT: 03:52
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 06 JANUARY 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We are deeply worried about the situation in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation over the weekend. It is clear that the operation undermined a fundamental principle of international law – that States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”
4. Wide shot, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR): “
The U.S. has justified its intervention on the grounds of the Venezuelan Government’s longstanding and appalling human rights record, but accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law. The people of Venezuela deserve accountability through a fair, victim-centred process.”
6. Wide shot, briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR):
“As has been clear in the UN Human Rights Office’s consistent reporting on the continued deterioration of the situation in Venezuela for about a decade, the rights of the Venezuelan people have been violated for too long. We fear that the current instability and further militarization in the country resulting from the U.S. intervention will only make the situation worse.”
8. Wide shot, briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The state of emergency declared by the Venezuelan authorities that took effect on Saturday is especially worrying as it authorizes restrictions on free movement of people, the seizure of property necessary for national defence, and the suspension of the right to assembly and to protest, among other measures.”
10. Wide shot, briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR):
“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk calls on the U.S. and the Venezuelan authorities, as well as the international community, to ensure full respect for international law, including human rights.”
12. Wide shot, briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, UN Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, with full respect for their human rights, including the right to self-determination, and sovereignty over their lives and their resources.”

Storyline

UN Human Rights spokesperson (OHCHR) Ravina Shamdasani said, ““The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone.”

Shamdasani made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing today (6 Jan) of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.

“We are deeply worried about the situation in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation over the weekend. It is clear that the operation undermined a fundamental principle of international law – that States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State,” Shamdasani said.

“The U.S. has justified its intervention on the grounds of the Venezuelan Government’s longstanding and appalling human rights record, but accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law. The people of Venezuela deserve accountability through a fair, victim-centred process,” she said.

“As has been clear in the UN Human Rights Office’s consistent reporting on the continued deterioration of the situation in Venezuela for about a decade, the rights of the Venezuelan people have been violated for too long. We fear that the current instability and further militarization in the country resulting from the U.S. intervention will only make the situation worse,” Shamdasani said.

“The state of emergency declared by the Venezuelan authorities that took effect on Saturday is especially worrying as it authorizes restrictions on free movement of people, the seizure of property necessary for national defence, and the suspension of the right to assembly and to protest, among other measures,” she said.

“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk calls on the U.S. and the Venezuelan authorities, as well as the international community, to ensure full respect for international law, including human rights.”

“The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, with full respect for their human rights, including the right to self-determination, and sovereignty over their lives and their resources,” Shamdasani said.