MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina endorses request that Venezuela investigates human rights violations

Machuca highlighted Argentina's stance in favor of the protection of all persons against forced disappearances

Argentina Wednesday supported from its role within the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) previous requests filed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who insisted the Venezuelan administration of Nicolás Maduro needed to investigate the numerous reports on violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.

In a meeting held in Geneva and chaired by Argentina's Federico Villegas Beltrán, the situation in Venezuela was discusssed thoroughly Cristian Machuca read a series of recommendations from the Argentine delegation: “The Argentine delegation recommends that Venezuela fully cooperates with the Human Rights Council and all its mechanisms, including relevant special procedures, and fully implement the recommendations made by the High Commissioner in her reports,” Machuca pointed out.

The Maduro regime also needs to “specify the call of the High Commissioner to conduct prompt, exhaustive, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into the allegations of human rights violations, to bring the perpetrators to justice and to guarantee adequate reparation to the victims,” the Argentine representative went on.

The delegation from the Alberto Fernández administration also asked Maduro to “strengthen the existing cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner, establishing a permanent office in the country, equipped with the human and material resources that allow it to carry out its tasks adequately.”

Machuca then highlighted Argentina's willingness to “ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Forced Disappearances.”

Argentina's requests to Venezuela came within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council (UPR), in the third evaluation carried out on the situation in that country, the previous ones daticg back to 2011 and 2016.