Venezuela’s authoritarian government has plunged the South American country into one of the worst human rights crises in recent history, according to a UN report published on Tuesday.

“We are witnessing an intensification of the state’s repressive machinery in response to what it perceives as critical views, opposition or dissent,” said Marta Valiñas, chair of the United Nations International Independent Commission of Inquiry.

The recent repression, due to its intensity and systematic nature, represents a serious attack on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people, she said.

The Commission of Inquiry’s report, which examines the rights situation between September 2023 and August 2024, states that a “new milestone in the deterioration of the rule of law” was reached after the elections in July.

The commission said it has reasonable grounds to believe that there was persecution for political reasons during this period.

Following a presidential election on July 28 tainted by allegations of fraud, the electoral authority, loyal to the ruling party, declared long-time President Nicolás Maduro the winner.

The country’s opposition, supported by the United States and countries in Latin America, said there had been widespread electoral fraud and claimed victory for their candidate Edmundo González.

Protests broke before and after the election and were violently suppressed by the authorities.

(dpa/NAN)