UN Authority Figures

UN General Assembly Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), Chair: Venezuela

Venezuelan prisoners are left to starve as the economy collapses.
Source: Daily Mail, October 10, 2016

Mission of UN General Assembly Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization): "The Special Political and Decolonization Committee deals with a variety of subjects which include those related to decolonization, Palestinian refugees and human rights, peacekeeping..." (General Assembly - Special Political and Decolonization website, "Fourth Committee")

Term of office: 2017-2018

Venezuela's Record on "refugees and human rights":
"Principal human rights abuses reported during the year included... indiscriminate police action against civilians leading to widespread arbitrary detentions, unlawful deprivation of life, and torture;... Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the media, and government agencies reported extrajudicial killings by police and security forces; torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;... corruption and impunity in the police; arbitrary arrests and detentions; abuse of political prisoners;... lack of protection for Colombian migrants;..With the refugee status determination process centralized at the National Refugee Commission (CONARE) headquarters in Caracas, asylum seekers waited as long as three years to obtain a final decision. During this period they had to continue renewing their documentation every three months to stay in the country and avoid arrest and deportation. While travelling to the commission, particularly vulnerable groups, such as women with young children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, faced increased protection risks, such as arrest and deportation, extortion, exploitation, and sexual abuse by authorities at checkpoints and other locations. In addition to arbitrary deportations, Colombians expelled from the country complained of abuses by security forces... excessive force to evict them from their homes, which were subsequently destroyed, and that security agents subjected them to physical abuse and forceful separation from their families." (US State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2016, Venezuela)

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