A UN fact-finding mission has concluded that “there are no indicators of structural reform or change” to improve the human rights situation in Venezuela, despite the removal of its leader in January.

On Thursday, Maria Eloisa Quintero, a member of the fact-finding mission, commented (PDF): The UN Human Rights Council questioned whether Venezuela’s leadership would face accountability for its record of human rights abuses.

They also pointed to ongoing abuses under the government of interim President Delsey Rodriguez, who was sworn into office on January 5.

“The government severely restricts civic and democratic space.” Civil society organisations, the few remaining independent media outlets, and political actors are facing attacks, harassment, or intimidation, Quintero wrote in his statement.

“The prospects for the full guarantees necessary for free and democratic elections remain remote.”

The fact-finding mission discovered that authorities have detained at least 87 individuals since January.

Fourteen of them were journalists who were temporarily detained while covering Rodríguez’s inauguration, and another 27 were arrested for allegedly celebrating the fall of Rodríguez’s predecessor, Nicolás Maduro.

The fact-finding mission revealed that at least 15 of the recent arrests involved children.

violation of international law

Its report was one of the first international assessments of human rights under Rodríguez’s fledgling presidency.

He took office after the United States launched a military operation on the morning of January 3 to kidnap then-Venezuelan President Maduro. Previously, Rodríguez served as Maduro’s vice president.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are currently imprisoned in New York, where they are accused of drug trafficking and weapons possession.

The United States has supported Rodriguez’s ascension to the presidency. Both his government and US President Donald Trump have said there are no immediate plans to hold new elections in Venezuela, citing the need for stability.

Quintero emphasised that it was the fact-finding mission’s view that the US operation “violated international law”, reflecting the legal consensus.

Quintero wrote, “Although the Mission has reasonable grounds to believe that Nicolás Maduro is responsible for crimes against humanity committed against the civilian population, such evidence does not justify unlawful military intervention.”

His comments also indicated that while Maduro may be gone, his government still exists.

That government has faced repeated allegations that it has used violence against members of Venezuela’s political opposition and others deemed critical of the country’s socialist leadership.

“The legal instruments that have long served as the basis for political persecution are in full force,” Quintero said.

“State institutions that played a key role in repression—and which have been identified in previous mission reports— have not been reviewed or reformed.”

Human rights groups have collected thousands of reports of arbitrary detentions, as well as torture and extrajudicial killings under Maduro, who was president from 2013 to January.

Members of the Venezuelan opposition have also called for the removal of the current government, which they say has fraudulently claimed victory in the 2024 presidential race, despite vote counts indicating otherwise.

Limited to ‘positive’ steps

At first, Quintero said that the fact-finding mission found that developments under Rodriguez “initially appeared to be encouraging”.

He pointed to “positive” steps such as the release of political prisoners and passage of an amnesty law that would remove criminal penalties for dissidents facing certain criminal charges.

However, he noted that irregularities diminished the benefits of those measures. The scope of the amnesty law was limited – only addressing certain allegations made within a specific time frame – and the bill was never read in full, publicly.

Meanwhile, the government claims to have released more political prisoners than has actually been verified by local human rights groups.

Quintero said the fact-finding mission also found that 30 officers from Venezuela’s Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigation Corps (CICPC) – part of the national police agency – were detained for failing to produce false evidence about the January 3 US attack.

He indicated that his family members also faced government retaliation. The fact-finding mission called for further adjustments to address continued human rights abuses.

Quintero wrote, “Much deeper and more permanent change is needed so that the population can trust that the long years of repression and violence have truly ended.”

Instead, he warned that the existing “machinery” of repression is “changing” to adapt to the new reality in a post-Maduro Venezuela.