LOC14:41
11:41 GMT
GENEVA, Jan 6 (KUNA) -- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday that the military operation carried out by the United States "violates Venezuela's sovereignty and the UN Charter, and undermines the international security system, making all states less safe."
Speaking at a media briefing in Geneva, OHCHR Acting Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that the United States' attempt to justify the operation by citing Venezuela's "long and appalling human rights record" is unacceptable.
She stressed that accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved through "unilateral military intervention that violates international law," adding that the Venezuelan people deserve a fair, victim-centered accountability process.
Shamdasani also warned that growing instability and increased militarization could worsen the human rights situation, and voiced serious concern over Venezuela's declaration of a state of emergency, which allows restrictions on movement, seizure of property for national defense, and suspension of the rights to assembly and protest.
She reiterated UN High Commissioner Volker Turk's call on the United States, Venezuelan authorities, and the international community to respect international law, including Venezuela's right to self-determination, and urged the international community to take a clear stance against this "military intervention" in line with the UN Charter. (end)
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