UN Double Standards on Venezuela
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Like his predecessors, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was appointed to serve US and other Western interests.
He’s equivocated on Venezuela, refusing to recognize imposter Guaido as interim president, saying he respects “the decisions of the intergovernmental bodies, particularly the General Assembly and the Security Council” – against the coup attempt by not endorsing it.
At the same time, he failed to denounce the Trump regime’s plot to topple democratically elected President Maduro – the scheme opposed by around three-fourths of world community nations.
Neocon extremist Marco Rubio slammed Guterres, tweeting: “He’s playing right into #Maduro plans. Fake @UN ‘negotiations’ to divide opposition & buy time for protests to die down. Maduro will also want UN ‘experts’ to blame #Venezuela crisis on sanctions.”
Rubio is waging near-daily Twitter war on Venezuela, conducting his own campaign for regime change, notably pushing for US military intervention.
He denounced Maduro this week, tweeting: He “can(’t) provide services (sic). (His government) is a transnational crimal (sic) organization which should be designated as a terrorist group (sic).”
After two months of failed Trump regime efforts to topple Maduro, Rubio sounded desperate, adding:
“There is still time for military leaders in #Venezuela to
– maintain their rank
– be granted legal amnesty
– have US sanctions removed; &
– participate in a transitional government (sic)
But only if they play a role in restoring democracy (sic).
Hurry.
It only gets worse from here.”
John Bolton sounded just as desperate over failure of everything the Trump regime threw at Maduro to stick. Venezuela’s military and most of its people support preserving and protecting Bolivarian social democracy, JB tweeting:
“Maduro’s tactics are backfiring (sic) and he is losing the small pockets of remaining support (sic). His systematic intimidation and violence (sic) are not working. The people of Venezuela are saying no more (sic) and leaders in Venezuela have a clear choice.”
“The people of Venezuela have recognized the unequivocal failure of Nicolas Maduro and his cronies (sic), and are standing up to say no more corruption (sic), no more oppression (sic), and no more poverty (sic). The Venezuelan military must stand with the people of Venezuela (sic).”
Pompeo sounded just as frustrated by consistent Trump regime failure – over his ineptness, the same for Bolton and Abrams, tweeting:
“We remain firm in our support for Venezuelan people (sic) and @jguaido and look forward to returning to a free & democratic Venezuela (sic).”
“I have a message for the Venezuelan people—the American people are with you (sic).”
On March 19, the State Department hosted an event on so-called “human rights abuses in Venezuela,” saying representatives of Albania, Argentina, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Romania, and the United Kingdom met in Geneva, Switzerland “to highlight the dire human rights situation in Venezuela (sic).”
Maduro was falsely accused of “cl(inging) to power by abusing human rights and instilling fear in its citizens.”
“Reports of widespread use of torture (sic), extrajudicial killings (sic), arbitrary detention (sic), raids by secret police (sic), closure of independent media (sic), and bans on political activity worsen by the day (sic).”
All of the above are bald-faced Big Lies. Things cited are longstanding US practices at home and abroad by the world’s most egregious human rights abuser on a global scale.
On Wednesday at the UN Human Rights Council, legal expert/former UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Alfred-Maurice de Zayas said the following:
“We are swimming in an ocean of lies. When I went to Venezuela, I expected to find a humanitarian crisis.”
“I was predetermined to find a humanitarian crisis. I walked the streets. I spoke to people of all kinds, and that was not the case. That means I had been manipulated. I had been lied to. And I resent that.”
His report on what’s going on in Venezuela explains ongoing US orchestrated political, economic, financial and sanctions war on the nation’s social democracy, its democratically elected government, and people – what I call war by other means.
Like other human rights activists, Alfred de Zayas opposes Trump regime efforts to replace Maduro by US-controlled puppet rule.
He denounced two earlier reports on Venezuela by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – a litany of bald-faced Big Lies, supporting the Trump regime’s plot to topple Maduro.
In February, current UN human rights chief, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, turned truth on its head – blaming “(t)he Venezuelan government (for) excessive force against unarmed protesters and ordinary citizens” – actions orchestrated by the US, committed by anti-government thugs.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday, she tried having things both ways – again wrongfully accusing Venezuelan security forces of cracking down on what she falsely called peaceful dissent, saying:
“(M)y office documented numerous human rights violations and abuses by security forces and pro-government armed groups, including excessive use of force, killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment in detention, and threats and intimidation.”
Serving Trump regime imperial interests, she willfully and maliciously lied, adding “parents cannot feed breakfast to their children,” followed by a litany of more lies.
At the same time, she said “I am concerned that the recent sanctions on financial transfers related to the sale of Venezuelan oil within the United States may contribute to aggravating the economic crisis, with possible repercussions on people’s basic rights and wellbeing” – while failing to denounce the Trump regime’s tactic and all others to eliminate Bolivarian social democracy.
Nor did she explain that unilaterally imposed US sanctions on Venezuela and other countries flagrantly violate UN Charter principles.
She also left unexplained that conditions in the country are far short of dire for its people. No one is starving or denied other public services.
Maduro and his legitimates government serve all Venezuelans equitably. Security forces protect them from US-orchestrated violence.
Bachelet largely repeated the Trump regime’s fabricated official narrative, Western media acting the same way, suppressing and distorting reality on the ground.
Along with Alfred de Zayas, Venezuelan envoy to the UN in Geneva Jorge Valero set the record straight at the Human Rights Council session, saying:
Peaceful protests and other demonstrations are allowed, not criminality and vandalism “promoted by a violent portion of the opposition, whipped up by foreign funding,” adding:
“The United States government has been pillaging our economic resources and denying Venezuela the possibility of acquiring (all) necessary food and medicines for our people.”
Valero denounced US seizure of Venezuelan assets and billions of dollars in revenues from state oil company PDVSA’s CITGO US subsidiary.
On Tuesday, Trump said he hasn’t yet imposed “the toughest of sanctions” – referring to secondary ones on nations, entities, and individuals maintaining normal relations with Venezuela.
This could be the next shoe to drop. The struggle to preserve and protect Bolivarian social democracy from US aims to destroy it has a long way to go.
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