Venezuela's communist regime attacked 226 human rights defenders in year's first quarter

The communist Maduro regime carried out 226 attacks against human rights defenders in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 131% during the same period last year, according to the Venezuelan NGO Center for Defenders and Justice (CDJ).

"The Venezuelan State continues to attack those who are in the front line of action as a response to the human rights crisis," says the organization's report, which shows that 105 cases were registered in January, 63 in February, and 58 in March.

The NGO reported that the 226 attacks included 141 stigmatization cases, 51 intimidation and harassment cases, 30 cases with threats, 3 digital attack cases, and 1 arbitrary detention case.

The report indicated 93% of the victims were human rights groups and 7% were people who work in defense of those organizations.

“From the highest levels of the state, the work of human rights organizations is discredited, trying to link them to criminal activities, destabilization, and attempting against the peace of the country; as well as seeking to associate them with opposition political parties, in order to question their independence,” says the report.

The main culprits, according to the data, were public officials with 51% of the cases, followed by the media with 25%, people or groups affected by political interests of the regime with 17%, public institutions with 5% and security organizations with 2%.

The organization said that at the end of the first quarter of 2023, "the policy of criminalizing the defense of human rights remains in force," says the NGO.

The CHJ urged the regime to guarantee a "successful and safe environment" for the exercise of the promotion of human rights in Venezuela.

"The state and all actors acting with its authority must immediately cease acts of intimidation, harassment, stigmatization and threats," it added.