Interparliamentary Union: Venezuela exemplifies the global increase in abuses against legislators
Violations of the human rights of legislators have tripled in a decade, from the 311 recorded in 2014 to 956 so far this year, warns this Friday the Interparliamentary Union (UPI), which points to Venezuela or Yemen as paradigmatic cases of these abuses.
This is a record number since the organization began to count these cases in 1977, recalled the UPI, which cited as main examples of These violations range from irregular suspensions to obstacles to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, or trials without due process.
In 2024, the region where the most abuses of this type have been recorded is currently Asia-Pacific (331), followed by the Middle East (228) and America (195), while 75 cases were recorded in Europe and 127 in Africa, according to the data that the UPI publishes regarding the celebration of Human Rights Day on December 10.
UPI especially highlighted the situation in Venezuela, where the organization says it is closely monitoring the cases of 135 former opposition parliamentarians elected in 2015 and who have denounced political persecution. criminal cases against them for that reason and harassment.
The organization cited the case of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was prevented from running as a candidate in the recent Venezuelan presidential elections.
Another country highlighted by UPI is Yemen, where 116 members of Parliament elected in 2003 have been victims of abuses, including attempted murders, kidnappings, arbitrary detentions and destruction of their property.
UPI also recalled that three cases of parliamentarians murdered in 2022 and 2023 in Somalia, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain unresolved, as well as the situation of the missing legislators Seham Sergiwa (Libya), whose whereabouts are unknown since 2019, and the Nicaraguan Broolyn Rivera, whose disappearance dates back to September 2023.
The organization also noted cases of politically motivated convictions against legislators from Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Pakistan, Tunisia and Türkiye who remain in prison.
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