Venezuela suspends UN human rights office activities, expels officials

BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuela on Thursday suspended the activities of the Caracas office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and expelled its staff from the country.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the commissioner has "instrumentalized" his work against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

“This decision is made due to the improper role that this institution has developed, which, far from showing it as an impartial entity, has led it to become the private firm of coup plotters and terrorist groups that permanently conspire against the country,” Gil wrote on X.

He requested "that the personnel assigned to this office leave the country within the next 72 hours until they publicly rectify before the international community their colonialist, abusive and violating attitude of the United Nations Charter.”

The UN office expressed last week a “deep concern” about the detention of human rights attorney Rocio San Miguel, which set off a wave of criticism inside and outside Venezuela.

San Miguel, an activist and expert on military issues, who was captured when she was preparing to leave Venezuela with her family, will be charged with “treason”, “terrorism” and “conspiracy” as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to kill Maduro, said Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab.

“(The) Office of the High Commissioner is very active in falsifying facts and prequalifying situations in relation to Venezuela, only to attack the sovereignty and self-determination of the country with lies, falsifications, misinformation and manipulations,” said Gil.

A UN-backed expert on food security urged the Venezuelan government on Wednesday to address hunger and malnutrition affecting the population.