NAN-F-19
Accusation
Geneva, Aug. 8, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) UN on Tuesday accused Venezuelan security forces of wielding excessive force to suppress protests, killing dozens, and arbitrarily detaining 5,000 people since April, including 1,000 still in custody.
In a preliminary findings based on 135 interviews conducted remotely and in Panama, the UN said it had investigated 124 deaths, found 46 attributable to security forces and 27 to pro-government armed groups and the rest unclear.
“We are concerned that the situation in Venezuela is escalating and these human rights violations show no signs of abating so we are worried about the direction in which it is heading.
“Responsibility for human rights violations we are reporting lies at the highest level of government,” UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing in Geneva. (Reuters/NAN)
OYE/SH
========
Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza