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Venezuelan security forces and pro-government paramilitary groups committed systematic human rights violetions following the disputed July 2024 presidential elections, including killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released Wednesday.
The 104-page report, Punished for Seeking Change, details the government’s crackdown on protests that erupted after President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner despite widespread allegations of electoral fraud.
Independent monitors, including the Carter Center and UN observers, reported serious irregularities and indicated that opposition candidate Edmundo González likely won more votes. Venezuela’s electoral authority nonetheless certified Maduro’s re-election.
At least 24 people were killed in post-election protests, according to HRW. The organization attributed the deaths to security forces and armed civilian groups known as “colectivos,” which allegedly used live ammunition and other lethal force against demonstrators and bystanders.
More than 2,000 people have been detained since July, including minors. Many face charges under broadly defined national security laws, such as “incitement to hatred” and “terrorism.” HRW said detainees were often denied access to legal counsel, held in unofficial detention centers, and subjected to physical abuse, including suffocation and beatings.
One of the cases cited is that of Jesús Armas, a former Caracas city councilman and opposition activist, who was abducted in December by masked men outside a café. He reappeared days later in state custody and alleged torture by intelligence agents during his disappearance.
Foreign nationals have also been targeted. In September, Colombian aid worker Manuel Tique, employed by the Danish Refugee Council, was detained and has not been heard from since. In January, French-American citizen Lucas Hunter disappeared after being stopped by Venezuelan border security. His family received one audio message before all contact ceased.
Some detainees were reportedly forced to sign nondisclosure agreements or record statements claiming they had been treated appropriately. Others were released under surveillance, the report said.
“The Maduro government has killed, tortured, and disappeared people who seek democratic change,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at HRW. “International pressure is critical to stop these atrocities and protect Venezuelans at risk.”
Thousands more Venezuelans have fled the country since the elections, amid growing political repression and deepening economic instability. But asylum procedures remain slow, and the Trump administration’s 2024 migration accord with Caracas has raised concerns about sidelining human rights in favor of geopolitical negotiations.
HRW urged governments to support international accountability efforts, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission and the International Criminal Court, and to expand protections for Venezuelans facing political persecution.
“The rights crisis in Venezuela remains the most severe in the Western Hemisphere,” said Goebertus. “Governments must use whatever leverage they have to secure real and verifiable change.”
