Vanezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro held on Thursday a meeting with the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, in Caracas.
The meeting took place at the end of Douhan’s visit to Venezuela, where she arrived on January 30 to determine “whether and to what extent the adoption, maintenance or implementation of unilateral sanctions impedes the full realization of human rights.”
In this regard, the high-ranking official devoted her efforts to examine “any negative impact sanctions have on the enjoyment of all human rights in Venezuela.”
During her visit, Douhan met with representatives of the Government of Venezuela, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Council on Human Rights, international organizations, the Diplomatic Corps, civil society organizations and the opposition.
The Special Rapporteur will submit a report on her visit, which will be an addendum to her report to the 48th session of the Human Rights Council, to take place in September 2021.
Since 2014, Venezuela is under an illegal scheme of economic, commercial and financial sanctions imposed by the White House. This action is aimed at destabilizing the Venezuelan Government and has significantly crippled the standard of living of Venezuelans.
Particularly, the unilateral coercive measures have impeded specialized medical treatment for children, adolescents and adults suffering from chronic diseases as international banks refuse to process Venezuela’s transactions due to the economic blockade.
This situation was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting Venezuela’s access to medicines, supplies and vaccines to treat this disease.