GENEVA, Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations experts* strongly condemned the large-scale military action carried out by the United States against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the bombardment of Caracas and other cities and the forcible abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
“These actions represent a grave, manifest and deliberate violation of the most fundamental principles of international law, set a dangerous precedent, and risk destabilising the entire region and the world,” the experts said.
They stressed that the unprovoked use of armed force on Venezuelan sovereign territory is a clear breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which unequivocally prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. It may also constitute the international crime of aggression attributable to the individual political and military leaders involved.
These actions reportedly caused the loss of an unknown number of lives. They are further aggravated by the preceding array of unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela, including a naval blockade and the armed seizure of tankers as well as the extrajudicial killing of at least 115 civilians allegedly linked to drug trafficking. “All of these measures are contrary to international and humanitarian law, including the non-derogable right to life,” the experts said.
UN experts noted that, under customary international law, sitting heads of state are immune from the criminal jurisdiction of foreign courts – not from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court –, while in office. This is a principle affirmed by the International Court of Justice in its 2002 ‘Arrest Warrant’ ruling, and it is applicable regardless of diplomatic recognition or political considerations.
“This unprecedented attack on Venezuela must not be viewed as an isolated incident, but rather as part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern of systematic disregard for peace, international law and multilateral institutions,” the experts said. “This return to gunboat diplomacy includes repeated acts of military aggression, including extrajudicial killings and coercive diplomacy, the imposition of sanctions against judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court and a UN Special Rapporteur for work carried out under a mandate entrusted by the UN Human Rights Council.”
“Taken together, these practices signal a deliberate challenge to the international legal order and to the very principle that power should be constrained by law,” they said. “If tolerated, such actions would normalise lawlessness in international relations and would fatally undermine the global order.”
The experts expressed grave concern about subsequent public statements by the President of the United States, in which he asserted that the US would “rule the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition” and that “we’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground”.
They warned that such declarations amount to a flagrant disregard for the right of peoples to self-determination and their associated sovereignty over natural resources, cornerstones of international human rights law enshrined in Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the United States has been a party since 1992.
“Venezuela’s vast natural resources, including the largest proven oil reserves in the world, must not be cynically exploited through thinly veiled pretexts to legitimise military aggression, foreign occupation, or regime-change strategies,” the experts said. “The international community, including States and businesses, bear a fundamental responsibility to desist from being complicit in any imperial strategies that violate human rights and the principles of non-intervention and self-determination.”
The experts noted that if Latin America bears the historical scars of many colonial and imperialist interventions, it also embodies a long tradition of resistance and emancipation struggles.
“The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, in full sovereignty, through dialogue and accountability, ensuring the meaningful and equal participation of women in all decision-making processes and fully adhering to the principles of democratic governance, respect for human rights, judicial independence and civic space,” they said. “This must be carried out free from external coercion, military force or economic strangulation.”
“We urge United Nations Member States to condemn the aggression by the United States and act decisively to halt all actions contrary to international law,” the experts said.
“Upholding international law is an imperative for the survival of a democratic and equitable international order rooted in the rule of law,” they said. — NNN-AGENCIES