The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights, Alena Douhan, determined this Friday that the illegal “sanctions” promoted and imposed by the United States on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have had a devastating effect on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people.
“Especially on those who are in extreme poverty, people with disabilities, with chronic or life-threatening illnesses”, Douhan said at a press conference with national and international media in Caracas.
During the reading of her preliminary report on the visit to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Rapporteur highlighted that the unilateral measures have exacerbated the Venezuelan economic situation, and their application would have limited the country’s income by 99%, affecting the social programs that the Bolivarian Government had been developing.
“The devastating effect of the sanctions imposed is multiplied by extraterritoriality and overcompliance with them, which negatively affects the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and national or third-country companies.”
She also highlighted that the existing humanitarian exceptions are insufficient, costly, ineffective and fruitless, in this case.
The UN Rapporteur arrived in Venezuela on January 30 with the intention of “examining, in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue, whether the adoption, maintenance or application of sanctions hinders the full realization of people’s human rights, and to what extent.”
Her agenda in the country included various meetings with senior officials of the Venezuelan Government, the National Human Rights Council, members of the National Assembly and the Judiciary; representatives of international organizations, the diplomatic corps, civil society, opposition sectors, lawyers, academics, activists, victims and their families.
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