MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Venezuela
15.7.2019 - (2019/2730(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Molly Scott Cato, Anna Cavazzini, Jutta Paulus, Hannah Neumann, Pierrette Herzberger‑Fofana, Viola Von Cramon‑Taubadel
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
B9‑0007/2019
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Venezuela
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the declarations by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on Venezuela of 10 January 2019, 26 January 2019, 24 February 2019 and 7 May 2019, and to the appointment of Enrique Iglesias as Special Adviser for Venezuela of 28 May 2019,
– having regard to the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of 5 July 2019,
– having regard to the speech delivered by Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the Government of Venezuela, during her address to the UN Human Rights Council on 5 July 2019,
– having regard to the recently reinstated dialogue process between the Venezuelan Government, taking place in Barbados on the initiative of Norway,
– having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 15 October 2018,
– having regard to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Venezuela, in particular those of 8 February 2018[1], 3 May 2018[2], 5 July 2018[3], 25 October 2018[4], 31 January 2019[5] and 28 March 2019[6],
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Venezuela, based on field visits and conversations with hundreds of witnesses, victims and stakeholders, sheds light on the deteriorating economic and human rights situation in Venezuela, and assigns responsibility to civil and military forces for arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment and torture of critics of the government, sexual and gender-based violence in detention and excessive use of force during demonstrations;
B. whereas limited or no access to food distribution, water and healthcare services further fuels the already disastrous situation and hits women particularly hard;
C. whereas mining and oil exploitation, especially in remote and biodiversity-rich regions, destroy the livelihoods of minorities, such as indigenous and black communities, who face severe violence and displacement by military forces, organised criminal gangs and armed groups if they oppose these activities and reclaim their rights;
D. whereas the death in custody, allegedly after torture, of Captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo needs to be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice;
E. whereas there is a serious need to overcome and find a negotiated solution to the current situation: the social unrest, economic hardship and exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the severe shortage of food, scarcity of medicines and lack of adequate medical services, and the insufficient protection of human rights, insecurity and violence in the streets, all a consequence of political mismanagement and autocratic behaviour by the Maduro Government;
F. whereas the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right, while any call for protests needs to be carefully framed to avoid fuelling further violence or provocation in the light of current tensions;
G. whereas any solution to this deep and multifaceted conflict must be found within the framework of the rule of law, be in accordance with international standards and fully respect democracy and human rights;
H. whereas international recognition of any new government formed on the basis of auto-proclamation runs a serious risk of fuelling the already incendiary situation, and even civil war, and could produce spill-over effects outside Venezuela, given the risk of an increased number of migrants fleeing to neighbouring countries;
I. whereas the role of the EU should be to continue to offer mediation between all actors involved in the conflict within the country, a role it can usefully play given the close connection between several Member States and Venezuela;
1. Expresses deep concern about the deteriorating situation as described in the recent UN report and strongly recommends the full implementation of the recommendations issued in this report in order to pave a way out of the deepening crisis;
2. Is appalled by the death of Captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo, after detention and alleged torture by members of the Venezuelan counterinsurgency, and demands an exhaustive, independent and transparent investigation to establish the reasons and accountability for his death so that judicial institutions can impose adequate sanctions;
3. Repeats its call to end impunity for crimes committed in the context of peaceful protest; calls, in this regard, for full, independent and impartial investigations into these crimes and violations, and for the perpetrators in all these cases to be brought to justice; insists on the right of reparation, redress and non-repetition and on the need to release all those who have been arbitrarily detained;
4. Calls on the military and security forces to strictly abide by their mandate, so that the military is able to play a constructive role in line with its constitutional duty; condemns the creation and actions of the paramilitary forces, whoever may be commanding them, and calls for their immediate dismantlement, for all their crimes to be swiftly investigated, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice in accordance with international standards;
5. Underlines the need to refrain from engaging in megaprojects in search of sources of income to overcome the economic crisis which are damaging to the environment, the climate and the livelihoods of communities in the area; calls for the unconditional protection of indigenous and black people in remote areas who defend the environment against activities such as gold mining in the Arco Minero del Orinoco area of Venezuela;
6. Underlines that any ultimate solution to the crisis will require the rebuilding of democracy in all its dimensions in Venezuela; reiterates that violence will not bring about peace, but will further destabilise the country;
7. Warns against any repetition of the violence reported; insists on the need for the Venezuelan authorities to respect freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly; calls on all actors to renounce the use of excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force, which is clearly and unequivocally prohibited under international law;
8. Reiterates its concerns over the lack of legitimacy of the May 2018 presidential elections; stresses the importance of the self-determination of the Venezuelan people and the importance of a genuine expression of their democratic will; calls on political leaders to refrain from any action or call which could fuel further unrest and political instability;
9. Shares the view expressed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in her address to the UN Human Rights Council of 5 July 2019, that ‘the only way out of this crisis is to come together, in dialogue’;
10. Expresses high hopes, in this connection, for the recently re-established dialogue process between the Venezuelan Government and the opposition on the island of Barbados, at the invitation of Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley and facilitated by Norway; welcomes the words of opposition leader and President of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó, after a private conversation with EU mediator Enrique Iglesias, that the conditions existed for reaching a solution to the national crisis;
11. Invites EU actors to continue their mediation efforts and expresses its support for these efforts, which are a means to end the crisis without provoking greater violence; underlines the important role that the United Nations and an international framework must play in this context;
12. Expresses its deep concern that recent actions by Venezuelan and foreign actors will encourage further polarisation, including at international level, and risk turning the Venezuelan conflict into a proxy battlefield contested by international powers, such as the US, Russia and China, intent on asserting control over Venezuelan oil reserves; raises alarm about the potential risk of the violence and unrest in Venezuela spilling over into neighbouring countries, and the risk of it ultimately leading to war in the region; urges all actors to explicitly exclude any non-peaceful, military resolution of the crisis, including low-intensity warfare;
13. Insists that double standards with respect to third countries should be avoided and that the EU and its Member States should be consistent in their positions towards third countries; recalls the importance of a unified EU response as the basis for a strong and more credible EU position;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the Government and authorities of Venezuela and the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly.
- [1] OJ C 463, 21.12.2018, p. 61.
- [2] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0199.
- [3] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0313.
- [4] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0436.
- [5] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2019)0061.
- [6] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2019)0327.