US Operation In Venezuela Violated International Law – United Nations

The United Nations said that recent US air strikes in Venezuela and the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, over the weekend clearly violated a core rule of international law.

UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva that countries are not allowed to use force or threaten another nation’s independence or territory.

“States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” Ravina said.

“And this is what we are seeing,” she said, calling on the international community to “come together with one voice… to make clear that this is an action that in contravention of the international law that was set up by member states”.

Over the weekend, US special forces, supported by aircraft, naval units and air strikes, took Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody in the early hours of Saturday.

Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges brought by the United States.

He said he had been abducted and still considered himself Venezuela’s president. He first assumed office in 2013 after succeeding Hugo Chavez.

The U.S and the European Union had accused Maduro of staying in office through rigged elections, including the 2024 vote, jailing political rivals and presiding over widespread corruption.

Shamdasani noted that the UN has documented worsening human rights conditions in Venezuela for years.

However, she said Washington’s military action could not be justified, arguing that human rights abuses cannot be addressed through unilateral military intervention that breaks international law.

She said, “Accountability for rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law”.

“Using human rights arguments as a justification for this kind of military intervention is unacceptable,” she said, adding that she feared the US intervention “will only make the situation worse”.

Shamdasani also highlighted that the state of emergency declared by Venezuelan authorities allows property confiscation, limits movement and suspends protest rights, among other restrictions.

“Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention… damages the architecture of international security, making every country less safe,” she said.

The UN rights office is currently operating from Panama after its international staff were expelled from Venezuela in early 2024.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said that even before the US operation, nearly eight million Venezuelans — about one-quarter of the population — already needed humanitarian aid.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it has not yet seen large-scale displacement but is watching the situation closely and is prepared to help if needed.

Before his arrest, the U.S Government doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, raising it from $25 million to $50 million.