The United Nations has expressed serious concern over a recent United States military operation in Venezuela, warning that the action violated core principles of international law.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said the operation undermined the prohibition against the use of force on another state’s territory.
“States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” Shamdasani said.
Her remarks followed reports that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were forcibly taken by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday during coordinated airstrikes on Caracas, supported by warplanes and a significant naval presence.
Shamdasani rejected Washington’s justification for the operation, which cited Venezuela’s “longstanding and appalling human rights violations” as grounds for the raid.
“Accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved through unilateral military intervention carried out in violation of international law,” she said.
She noted that the UN human rights office had, for more than a decade, consistently documented the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Venezuela.
“We are concerned that the instability and further militarisation resulting from this intervention will only exacerbate the situation on the ground,” Shamdasani added.
The UN has continued to call for respect for international law and urged all parties to pursue accountability and reform through lawful and multilateral means.
