Civil society demands from the international community a commitment to the democratic reinstitutionalization in Venezuela: A coordinated multilateral action that guarantees human rights, justice and builds peace

Within the framework of the call to Latin American and European countries for the International Conference on Venezuela, to be held in Colombia on April 25^th, 2023, the organizations and individuals who sign this statement value the diplomatic efforts of the Colombian government to encourage meetings between key actors and uniting efforts in the construction of a common vision. We call on the States and the international community to base these meetings on the recognition and respect of human rights and the demands for justice of the population, which will allow a peaceful and democratic solution to be reached in the face of the crisis that Venezuela is going through.

In these multilateral efforts, it is essential to prevent serious human rights violations from being covered by impunity and from further escalating and damaging the population. For this reason, it is crucial that foreign ministries, presidents and legislators, and the international community in general, implement a human rights approach in their efforts to establish communication and cooperation mechanisms with Venezuelan authorities. This approach, in turn, provides diplomatic tools to avoid polarizing language and allows for dialogue based on facts, reflected in different reports from international protection organizations, such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In turn, it allows the design of strategies anchored in the recommendations made to Venezuela in the reports of these and other organizations, allowing the monitoring of compliance actions through parameters and indicators that the States can use to measure the real cooperation of the government of Nicolas Maduro, and the process of democratic reinstitutionalization in the country.

States must do everything possible so that the government participates and cooperates with the multilateral bodies, since only in this measure can the actions carried out be monitored and the application of the pertinent corrective measures recommended. This cooperation must not be conditioned, and must adequately recognize and characterize the conflict. For this reason, it is vital that States that promote peaceful solutions for Venezuela keep their voices active to denounce the serious violations of human rights in the country.

For this reason, the organizations and individuals who sign here urge States and international organizations not to decline in their efforts to reactivate mechanisms for dialogue and negotiation, to seek a peaceful and democratic solution to the multidimensional crisis, and to develop action that allows:

• Recognize and measure the complex humanitarian emergency that keeps the majority of the population in need of assistance, so it is vital that immediate and effective measures be deepened to continue attending it; the signs of suffering and affectation of the population are evident and alarming. The international community must continue to work together to provide humanitarian assistance and ensure unimpeded access to it.

• Work to build a sustainable and lasting peace in Venezuela that helps to contain and eradicate the systematic violations of human rights that persist. It is crucial in this task to support Venezuelan civil society organizations that operate in a context of persecution, criminalization and the closure of civic space. Venezuelan civil society depends on this common effort to remain active, accompanied and protected against threats and attacks against them.

• Demand the holding of free and authentic elections in Venezuela in the processes scheduled for 2024 and 2025. The recovery of the right to elect and be elected involves recognizing and resuming the path started in 2021 to recover the optimal conditions of electoral integrity for political participation , where the independence and autonomy of the electoral power is guaranteed, the certainty of an electoral calendar, the activation of special operations to register and update the electoral registry inside and outside the country, political pluralism, qualified national and international observation and the freedom of expression in the framework of electoral processes. Electoral technical assistance from the United Nations and the European Union is a key element in this context.

• Likewise, the support of the States for democracy and human rights requires the resumption of diplomatic relations, to carry out the necessary steps to restore full consular operation that allows Venezuelans abroad to materialize their rights, including identity and political participation, to also have the ability to contribute to peaceful and democratic solutions in future electoral processes.

• Encourage the justice system to carry out independent investigations and genuine, expeditious and impartial trials against all those involved in the atrocities committed. As well as urging the implementation of the necessary reforms for the recovery of democratic institutions and the rule of law in the country. In this sense, the continuation and work of international mechanisms, such as the International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Court International Criminal Court have a fundamental role.

• Take measures aimed at protecting the migrant and refugee population. The mobility crisis of Venezuelan people is a mirror of the humanitarian crisis that the country is experiencing, for which most of them require international protection. The complexity that characterizes the Venezuelan emergency requires that States not work solely from the point of view of cooperation and assistance, but rather that they apply and promote comprehensive migration policies that are appropriate to international human rights standards in favor of Venezuelans in situations of mobility. in their own territories, considering the differentiated affectation of vulnerable groups such as women, indigenous people, the LGBTIQ+ population, among others.

• Develop an international and regional leadership committed to the democratic reinstitutionalization in Venezuela. The dialogue table in Mexico is an important step towards the transformation of the conflict in the country and it is necessary to comply with the agreements reached. However, a redemocratization process in Venezuela requires committed international support, which advocates for freedoms, respect for human rights, justice and the restoration of a sustainable democracy, which necessarily includes inclusion and full and effective participation of women, youth and other excluded groups, as well as civil society organizations, in all aspects of public life, decision-making spaces and dialogue process.

From civil society, we ratify our commitment to the restoration of democracy. We support the efforts for the construction of a peaceful solution to the conflict in Venezuela, we hope that, while supporting compliance with the agreements reached in the dialogues in Mexico, sustained efforts are maintained with a process of democratic reinstitutionalization of Venezuela that we know it will take time and efforts.

Sign:

A.C. Casa del Nuevo Pueblo

A.C. Medicos Unidos de Venezuela

A.C. Reforma Judicial

Acceso a la Justicia

Acción En Positivo

Acción Solidaria

Alerta Venezuela

Amigos Trasplantados de Venezuela

Asociación Civil Gente del Petróleo

Asociación Civil Oportunidad Acciones Ciudadanas

Asociación de Trasplantes de Venezuela

Una Mano para Monagas

Caleidoscopio Humano

Cátedra de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado

CEDICE Libertad

Centro de Atención Integral Psicopedagógica Individual -CAIPI

Centro de Derechos Humanos – UCAB

Centro de Derechos Humanos – UNIMET

Centro de Investigación Social Formación y Estudios de la Mujer – CISFEM

Centro de Justicia y Paz – Cepaz

Ciudadanía Activa

Civilis Derechos Humanos

Clima21

Club de Leones internacional Mendoza Fria

Codhez

Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación de Colegios de Abogados de Venezuela del estado Táchira

Comisión ULA Mujer

Comité de Rescate Federación Campesina De Venezuela

Dejusticia, Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad

Epikeia Derechos Humanos

Espacio Civil a.c.

Fe y Alegría

FEDERACIÓN NACIONAL DE SOCIEDADES DE PADRES Y REPRESENTANTES -FENASOPADRES-

Fetraenseñanza

Foro Penal

Fuerza Liberal

Funcamama

Fundación Aguaclara

Fundacion Centro Comunitario Para la Cooperación y el Aprendizaje

Fundación INCIDE

Fundación Loto Azul

Fundación Mariela Molero

Fundación para la Prevención de la Violencia Contra las Mujeres

Fundación Parkinson Carabobo

Fundación Prodefensa del Derecho a la Educación y la Niñez

Fundación Reflejos de Venezuela

Fundapden Internacional

FundaRedes

Grupo Social Cesap

Instituto Venezolano de Estudios Sociales y Políticos -INVESP

Ipys Venezuela

Jurídico fundación crecimiento unidos

Juventud Venezolana en el Exterior (JUVENEX)

Laboratorio de Paz

Liga Merideña de VIH

Médicos Unidos de Venezuela Capítulo Carabobo

Movimiento Ciudadano Uniendo Voluntades

Movimiento Creando Ciudadanos (MOCRECI)

Mujer y Ciudadanía a.c.

Mulier

Observatorio de Derechos Humanos Universidad de Los Andes

Observatorio de Violencias LGBTIQ+

Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia – OGCD

Observatorio Hannah Arendt

Observatorio Penal Merida OPEM DDHH

Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones

Observatorio Venezolano Derechos Humanos Mujeres

ONCOPEDIA

Ong Hombres por la equidad e igualdad

Ong No Permitas Malos Tratos

ONG Red Reto

Padres Organizados de Venezuela

Primero justicia

Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos – PROVEA

PROMEDEHUM

Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos – REDAC

Resonalia

SINDICATO DE TRABAJADORES DE LA EDUCACIÓN DEL ESTADO TÁCHIRA (SINDITED TACHIRA) FILIAL DE FETRASINED

Sinergia, Red de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil

Transparencia Venezuela

Unión Afirmativa

Venezuela en Baviera e.V.

Voto Joven

Women Riots

People:

Adolfo P. Salgueiro

Angel Valles

Beatriz Borges

Beatriz Cardozo

Beatriz Gerbasi

Belkys Flores

Carlos Enrique Albornoz

Carlos Infante

Carlos Rodriguez

Carmen Lizeth Guaricuco González

Carmen Sequera

Celice Fernandez

Cristina Ciordia

Cruz Alberto González

Daniela Guerra

Deborah Van Berkel

Dheyby Yolimar Quintero Sivira

Diana Merchán Pérez-Perazzo

Dickson Segovia

Eddie A. Ramírez S.

Efri José Castro Moreno

Eleazar Enrique Robles Loyo

Elsi Escalante

Erasmo F. Villarroel R.

Francisco González Cruz

Freddy Irán Barrios Patiño

Gabriela Buada Blondell

Gipsy Sarita Montiel Ramirez

Gisell Colmenares

Gloria Debourg

Griselda Barroso Morgado

Griselda Colina

Guillermo Castillo Cabrera

Haydin Parada

Humberto Marcando Rodríguez

Ingrid Garrido

Iñaki Alberdi

Isabel Zerpa Albornoz

Ivan Ramos Barnola

Javier Blanco

Javier Francisco Bellorin Garrido

Jesús Castellanos Vásquez

Jesús Salas

Johana Pappe

Jorge Briceño Cepeda

Jorge Casas

Jorge Govea Cabrera

José Alonso Sánchez Moreno

José Escorche Escorche

José Parra

José Ramón uzcátegui puente

Judith C. Vega Mejía

Julio Ayala

Julio César Dorta Salazar

Karen Castillo

Karina Gerlach

Ligia de Gonzalez

Lilia Arvelo Alemán

Luis Alberto Gonzalez

Luis Nieto

Luis Peche Arteaga

Luisa Rodríguez Táriba

Magaly Huggins

Magdalena J Torres M

Mallerlin ennys diaz de camacho

Manuel Prada

Marco Romía

María De Oteyza

María Fernanda Fuentes Niño

Maria Hilda Cardenas

Maria Pia Pesci Feltri

María Teresa Romero

Mariela Little

Marisol De la Rosa

Marleny Devia

Martha Albarracin

Milangi González

Mirian Paredes de Robles

Mirluis Brito Núñez

Mirna Serrano

Nancy Noguera

Nelda Dezzeo

Nelson Oxford

Neyeska Cuba

Norjka Farreras-Iovino

Norman Pino De Lion

Omar Rivas

Pascual Guerrero Bolivar

Pedro Alcalá

Pedro Jose Briceño Vieras

Pedro Rojas

Piedad Gomez de Gamez

Quiteria Franco

Rafael E Guerra G

Ramón Tampoa

Raquel Cabrera

Raúl López

Rigoberto Lobo Puentes

Robert Emigdio González Ferrer

Roberto Giralte

Rodolfo Silva García

Rodrigo Arcaya

Rosy Alejandra Ayala Soriano

Ruben camacho

Sandra Flores-Garzón

Sergio Duarte

Sonia Josefina Marquina de Barrios

Valeria Abreu

Wanda Cedeño

Whyrlin Zamora Gil

Wilfredo Castro

William Rodríguez

Yaikari de Tovar

Yamel Rincón

Yatzury Galindez

Yolima Arellano

Yraida Ojeda

Zoraida Alvarez