INTERVENTION OF CHANCELLOR JORGE ARREAZA MONTSERRAT BEFORE THE 36TH SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL OF THE UNITED NATIONS Mr. President, top officials: I address this Human Rights Council, on behalf of the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its Constitutional President, Nicolรกs Maduro Moros. Today is September 11th. A sad date in our continent. In the south, in Chile, in 1973, a coup and terrorist military action did away with a beautiful democratic experience and unleashed a regime of terror that ruled without leniency for 17 years, committing multiple violations of human rights that still await justice today. Behind the coup and death of Allende, the United States of America demonstrated its participation. In 2001 too, the atrocious terrorist attacks in New York not only caused death and pain for the American people, but became a pretext for generating cruel wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, wars that are still going on. In Iraq, for example, a war unleashed without United Nations approval resulted in bombing of civilians, the devastating destruction of cultural heritage, infrastructure and services. A million dead and who knows how many injured and crippled, later the United States government confessed not to have found a trace of weapons of mass destruction, an argument that served as justification for the invasion, much less found links of the overthrown Iraqi government with the September 11th attacks in New York. We refer to this September 11th, because terrorism, in any of its modalities, either by states that arrogate the right to intervene around the world at will as well as violent anarchist groups that threaten world stability today, represent a serious threat to world peace and stability. Colonial spoils and these combined and sometimes linked forms of terrorism have led to massive migrations and bloody internal wars in the countries to which modern imperialism tried to control to secure its natural resources. Societies today without any guarantee of their Human Rights, both in their countries and in the migration processes. We come to this Council in defense of the truth of Venezuela. But we also come to defend the principles of this collective effort to build an institutionality that is truly
committed to the people and not at the service of the agendas of domination of the powerful in the world. Mr. President; In 1993, the Member States of the United Nations adopted the "Vienna Declaration and Program of Action," expressing consensus on key human rights issues among nations with different cultural backgrounds and at different levels of development. The Vienna Declaration established with absolute clarity the major principles that should govern the consideration of human rights issues: The creation of this Human Rights Council in 2005 was the opportunity to ratify and deepen the principles emanating from the World Conference on Human Rights. According to its charter, this important body of the United Nations system emerged recognizing the importance of "ensuring universality, objectivity and non-selectivity in the examination of human rights issues and eliminating the application of double standards and politicization" in that examination. Unfortunately, Mr. President and distinguished permanent representatives, recent history is rife with cases where the political, selective and biased use of the human rights issue is the strategy employed by those seeking to impose a single world view, in clear violation of the norms and principles universally accepted in this matter. The strategy they have applied against my country from some centers of power is a clear example of the use of human rights as a political weapon for the purpose of domination. Day after day, unfounded accusations are made about the human rights situation in Venezuela. In November 2015, President Nicolรกs Maduro in this same room warned of the imperative need to perfect the United Nations system, especially this Human Rights Council, in order to prevent organisms from being turned into a political weapon against independence and sovereign governments and processes. That alert is now fully valid. It is necessary to protect this important organ from the threatening pretensions of a bureaucracy that desperately tries to ignore and supplant the sovereign will of the states represented here. Venezuela is deeply committed to cooperating with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms in order to consolidate it as an efficient, objective and faithful body to the true principles that serve as a basis for human rights. An organ that promotes and protects all human rights. For this reason, our country has been constantly reporting and denouncing to this Council and other instances of the United Nations System the selective, biased and
politicized behavior of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights against Venezuela. The most recent actions of that office confirm all our complaints. The Office of the High Commissioner should carry out its activities in strict compliance with the mandate established by the General Assembly, acting at the request of Member States, without going too far. Your work must be objective and impartial. The recent attempts at reports against Venezuela, lack methodological rigor, are unfounded, induced and directed to disrupt the sovereignty, peace and stability of our People. Earlier this morning the High Commissioner for Human Rights referred to alleged reports against Venezuela. With all due respect, but with the firmness and morals that our courageous people, their history and struggles for freedom grant us, we demand of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to stop the aggression against Venezuela through reports that do not have the mandate of the member states, but also are plagued with lies, uncontrollable data, distorted arguments and offense to our country. We sometimes wonder whether the Office of the High Commissioner acts under the rules of this Council and the General Assembly. At times it seems to respond to unspeakable interests. If any country can be challenged for human rights violations and objectively evaluated by this body, it is precisely the United States; violations of human rights such as illegal wars, economic blockades, coercive measures, unworthy walls to separate peoples, illegal prisons such as Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons where they kidnap and torture citizens of the world, Mr. President, Between April and July of 2017 Venezuela was the scene of a new escalation of political violence promoted by sectors of the opposition to the Government of President Nicolรกs Maduro. During these four months Venezuelans were subjected to various expressions of violence, as part of a recurrent strategy used to try to resolve the political differences that exist in our democratic system, by unconstitutional means. During these actions, anti-government groups systematically used the use of firearms; placement of barricades and deadly traps; use of homemade weapons and explosives, setting a pattern of harm to civilians and security forces, in violation of the principles of peaceful demonstration enshrined in our Constitution and international treaties. The result of these actions was the unfortunate loss of 121 human lives, a figure given by the Public Ministry of Venezuela with the previous administration. Most of these deaths are directly attributable to the violent action of anti-government groups.
More than 829 staff members of the injured security forces, including 73 wounded by firearms and 913 attacks against hospitals, schools, food distribution centers and other bodies responsible for the guarantee of human rights. Even a non-governmental organization with consultative status was attacked on several occasions by violent groups. In 16 of the cases the disproportionate use of force was established as motive and all the officials are put to the order of the Venezuelan justice. During this period violent groups developed two practices unheard of in the recent history of our country: the first, although you do not believe it in this Council, burn people alive because of their political opinion, even their appearance. The second of these highly questionable practices was the use of children and adolescents to prepare incendiary bombs, guard barricades and assault security officers. This practice gave rise to several pronouncements of UNICEF in Venezuela, which we take the occasion to thank. It is the truth of Venezuela that has been deliberately omitted by the media, by some States and by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mr. President; In recent years, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been subjected to a multifaceted aggression against its economy, which includes smuggling of extraction, manipulation of the international price of oil, the iron fist of its currency, the drilling of the price system and economic and financial blockade, among other measures aimed at stopping the process of economic development in our country, these have been part of the recipe. Behind all those actions is the imperial despair of destroying Venezuela's peace, stability, democracy, and institutions and thereby controlling the planet's largest oil reserves, gas, gold, diamond, coltan, thorium, and the most important biological reserves and aquifers. In this context, on August 11th of this year, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to use military force to intervene in Venezuela. Not conforming to this, on August 25th, the imperial government imposed unilateral coercive measures against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, formalizing the mechanisms of economic aggression that have been developing against Venezuela since 2013. These harmful measures against our financial instruments and the oil industry violate the human rights of our people, as well as the illegal blockade against the sister republic of Cuba, extended for one more year last Friday, has violated the human rights of the people of MartĂ during more than 55 years.
The Council has recognized that unilateral coercive measures are contrary to international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the rules and principles governing peaceful relations between States. That is why today, in this room, we denounce before the Council the illegitimate and illegal sanctions imposed unilaterally against Venezuela to attack the human rights model of the Bolivarian Revolution and cause difficulties and suffering to the Venezuelan people. Mr. President; Despite imperial aggressions, Venezuela has continued to develop its model of human rights protection. Ours is still one of the least unequal countries on the American continent. 73% of our budget is earmarked for social investment. The Human Development Index spent in Venezuela in less than 15 years from Medium to High and currently stands at 0.76. In Venezuela for this year 2017, nine out of ten people with a right to a social security pension enjoy this right, approaching us. In the last 5 years, more than 1,737,166 homes have been built and delivered. Since last year 100% of our compatriots have free and quality coverage in primary health care. Nothing and nobody will be able to stop us. The National Human Rights Plan announced by President Nicolรกs Maduro before this Council in November 2015 and approved in February 2016 continues in full implementation. Here we have it as presented to this Council. This Plan was the result of a broad and inclusive process of public consultation. This is a historical measure, since in Venezuela a Plan of this nature had never been developed. Mr. President; Venezuela today has a solid model of participatory and protagonist democracy, where it is the people who define and govern the destinies of our nation. In the last 18 years in Venezuela, 22 electoral processes have been carried out, making the exercise of the right to vote a daily practice for our people. The most recent election was held on July 30th to elect members of the National Constituent Assembly. In October of this year the Venezuelan people will return to exercise their right to vote to choose state governors. Yesterday, Mr. President, the Venezuelan opposition developed its primary elections in peace to define its gubernatorial candidates; there was only a fight between parties of the Venezuelan opposition in the State of Zulia. Thanks to the Dialogue and the National Constituent Assembly, the opposition in Venezuela seems to return to the path of legality and democracy, very soon, we will
also witness signs of the process of dialogue, thanks to the mediation of friends and the will of President Nicolas Maduro. The election of the National Constituent Assembly has returned the peace to the country, after more than four months of violent actions carried out by extreme sectors of the opposition. This Constituent Assembly, in accordance with the Constitution and national and international legal doctrine, is the ultimate expression of the sovereign power of the people and is empowered to transform the State, create a new legal system and draft a new Constitution. It is important to note that in Venezuela, the last death and last protest was recorded on July 30th, the day of the election of the National Constituent Assembly. Since then, even if the media do not state this, and the Office of the High Commissioner does not report it, our country is in the most absolute peace. In fulfillment of its work, the National Constituent Assembly created the Commission for Truth, Justice, Peace and Public Tranquility. This commission will be in charge of investigating the acts of political violence that occurred in Venezuela from 1999 to July 2017. Mr. President; Venezuela, in charge of the Presidency of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM), will try to continue advancing in the protection and promotion of human rights in the world, including the right to development. We welcome the creation by this Council of the Special Rapporteur on the right to development and reiterate all the support of the 120 NAM states to its mandate. Also from the NAM, we will continue to reject unilateral coercive measures the enactment of extraterritorial laws, which hamper the enjoyment of human rights and violate the sovereignty of states. Venezuela and NAM reiterate their support for the Palestinian cause, the inalienable right of this historic people in resistance to self-determination, to be a Free and Independent State, based on the borders established by the UN in 1967. It suffices to accept with impunity the permanent violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people. Mr. President, Venezuela ratifies its full willingness to cooperate with the United Nations system and this Human Rights Council. As part of this will, I would like to announce that our country has decided to make the invitation to three special procedures of this Council to visit Venezuela in the coming months.
Similarly, good and bad must be said, Venezuela is requesting technical cooperation from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the implementation of the 193 recommendations accepted in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review, recognizing the importance of this mechanism of constructive dialogue and exchange of good practices between States. As our President Nicolas Maduro said in this same Chamber: "It will not be the first time that we break down the lies with the powerful force of truth that our country has." Commander Hugo Chavez always reminded us of the Liberator SimĂłn BolĂvar when he announced to us in 1819: "The most perfect system of government is that which gives its people the greatest amount of happiness possible, the greatest sum of social security and greater sum of political stability." For Bolivarian Venezuela, for Bolivarian peace diplomacy, paraphrasing Bolivar, the fundamental objective is to build an international system where the people of the world are offered the greatest amount of happiness possible, the greatest sum of social security and the largest sum of independence and political and economic stability, that is to say, a world where the full enjoyment of human rights is respected and guaranteed, respecting the values and principles of International Law. On behalf of President Nicolas Maduro and the People of the Bolivarian People of Venezuela, we thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity.