UN Experts Warn of Human Rights Violations in US-Venezuela Deportation Case

United Nations human rights experts have expressed alarm over the potential deportation of four Venezuelan individuals, including a human rights defender, to Venezuela from the United States. The experts warn that this move would breach international human rights law and refugee law, particularly the principle of non-refoulment. The US Government claims that the individuals pose a national security risk due to alleged ties to the Venezuelan terrorist organization Tren de Aragua, but the experts say this is unsubstantiated. The four individuals, Dehivis David Olivo Hernandez, Gregory Jose Sanabria Tarazona, Teobaldo Antonio Leon, and Wilmer Alexander Garcia Vallenilla, face serious human rights risks, including torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and persecution, if returned to Venezuela. The US has an obligation to uphold these protections under international law, and the experts urge the Government to immediately halt the deportations and conduct proper individualized assessments.

Key Takeaways:

• The four Venezuelan individuals, including a human rights defender, are at risk of serious human rights violations if deported to Venezuela, including torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and persecution.
• The US Government claims that the individuals pose a national security risk due to alleged ties to the Venezuelan terrorist organization Tren de Aragua, but this is unsubstantiated.
• The principle of non-refoulment, which prohibits the transfer of individuals to a country where they face a real and foreseeable risk of human rights violations, applies to the four individuals.
• The US has an obligation to uphold the protections enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention against Torture, and customary international law.
• The US Government must immediately halt the deportations and conduct proper individualized assessments of the risks to the four individuals in Venezuela.
• Venezuelan authorities must also guarantee the safety, dignity, and rights of the four individuals should they be returned, and not subject them or their family members to reprisals or prosecution for peacefully exercising their human rights.

Statistics:

• At least two of the four individuals have suffered documented acts of torture in Venezuela.
• The four individuals face a real and foreseeable risk of human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and persecution, if returned to Venezuela.
• The US has an obligation to uphold the protections enshrined in the ICCPR and the Convention against Torture, and prevent the deportation of individuals to a country where they face a real risk of human rights violations.
• The US Government has wrongfully designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization without sufficient evidence.

Sources:

• "Venezuelan Individuals Face Human Rights Risks in US-Venezuela Deportation Case" (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2023)
• "UN Experts Warn of Human Rights Violations in US-Venezuela Deportation Case" (United Nations Office at Geneva, 2023)