A human rights panel calls on the Venezuelan government to respect civil liberties as the start of the presidential term approaches.
The government of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced a $100,000 reward for information on the fate of exiled opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
Thursday’s announcement comes eight days before Maduro is sworn in for a third term, following a disputed presidential election in July.
In the months following the vote, Maduro’s government issued a arrest warrant for Gonzalez, his rival in the race.
“A $100,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides information on his whereabouts,” the country’s Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigation Agency said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
The message framed a photo of Gonzalez in the style of a “wanted” poster.
Maduro’s government claimed the president had won re-election, but refused to release the usual voter count that accompanies elections.
The opposition, for its part, accuses Maduro of electoral fraud and I said that Gonzalez was the rightful winner. He released what appeared to be election tally sheets showing Gonzalez defeating Maduro by a two-to-one margin.
Regional leaders have also cast doubt on Maduro’s claims of victory, demanding that the government release election data that could validate the results.
The government has not yet done so and Gonzalez has left the country for Spain following the September arrest warrant.
He had previously announced he would return at the start of his new presidential term and on Thursday the Argentine government said he was on his way to Buenos Aires.
Human rights groups and international organizations such as the United Nations have criticized the Maduro government for repressive activities before and since the disputed elections, including arbitrary arrests and torture. Nearly 2,000 people were arrested in the aftermath of the elections, and 23 were killed.
As Maduro’s third inauguration ceremony approaches on January 10, a group of UN human rights experts on Thursday called on Venezuelan authorities to respect civil liberties, including the right to protest.
“We make a strong appeal to the authorities so that the rights to protest and express themselves freely can be exercised without fear of possible reprisals,” the group’s president, Marta Valinas, said in a statement.
Maduro has become increasingly isolated following disputed elections and harsh police repression of opposition-led protests. Even his left-wing allies in Brazil and Colombia have pushed for his government to release transparent results.
The ongoing election controversy has also strained relations with Argentina, which has since severed diplomatic ties with Venezuela.
Without formal diplomatic relations, Brazil agreed to serve as guardian of the Argentine embassy in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, where several opposition leaders have taken refuge. Argentina has repeatedly accused Venezuela of harassing people inside the embassy walls.
On Thursday, the government of the far-right Argentine president Javier Milei filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing the Venezuelan government of the crime of “enforced disappearance” following the arrest of a member of the Argentine security services in December.
The Argentine government says Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, entered Venezuela to see members of his family.
Venezuelan prosecutors, however, say he is being investigated for possible links to groups seeking to carry out “terrorist” actions in the country.
