Venezuela: Sexual violence documented as a pattern of repression and political control

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September 26, 2025.- The European International Human Rights Network (RIDHE) expresses its deep concern at the most recent report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, presented at the sixtieth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The report confirms the systematic use of sexual violence in detention centers as a tool of repression, punishment and political control. These attacks affect both women and men arrested for exercising their right to protest, for their journalistic work or for defending civil rights.

The RIDHE warns that this pattern represents one of the most serious and alarming violations of the human rights crisis in Venezuela.

The Mission also confirms that the country is going through a structural crisis of human rights, also characterized by torture, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances. These abuses, far from being isolated events, are part of a policy of planned and sustained repression from power.

The justice system remains co-opted by political interests and lacks real capacity to investigate or punish those responsible. The Mission reported an increase in enforced disappearances with prolonged incommunicado detention, while torture continues to be a recurrent method used by intelligence agencies and security forces to instill fear and silence critical voices.

During a side event organized by RIDHE and Aula Abierta, specialists and representatives of civil society agreed with the findings of the Mission, stressing that the human rights crisis in Venezuela It has intensified after the elections of 2024 and 2025, in a context of mass protests and allegations of electoral fraud. The urgency of placing human rights at the center of any negotiation and of redoubling international pressure in the face of the seriousness of the situation was emphasized.

The repression is reinforced by the stigmatization of independent civil society, designated by the government as a “foreign agent” or “terrorist”. These narratives justify the criminalization of NGOs and defenders, while restrictive laws with vague provisions limit freedom of association and consolidate a climate of fear.

The report also records the attacks against international bodies, including restrictions on the Office of the High Commissioner in Venezuela and disqualifications of senior officials against their representatives. This attitude reflects the government's refusal to cooperate with international mechanisms and the urgency of a stronger and more coordinated international strategy.

The meeting highlighted the need to guarantee justice and reparation to victims of sexual violence, forced disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrests, as well as to strengthen mechanisms for the protection of rights.

”Venezuela is experiencing a critical moment that does not admit indifference”, warned the organizers. “The international community has a responsibility to accompany Venezuelan civil society and demand real guarantees to stop repression and restore democracy.”

The RIDHE recalls, in line with what was stated by the UN High Commissioner, that these violations constitute possible crimes against humanity. As long as there are no minimum conditions of judicial independence in the country, the international channel remains the only remedy capable of offering justice and reparation to victims.

We reiterate that the Situation in Venezuela responds to a planned system of repression that erodes human dignity and destroys the rule of law. Our mission is to accompany Venezuelan civil society, amplify the voices of victims and demand that the international community assume its responsibility to act decisively. There will be no possible democracy without truth, justice and full guarantees for all people in Venezuela.