Venezuela’s Ambassador Addresses the UN Human Rights Council

The Venezuelan permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Héctor Constant Rosales, responded Wednesday to a report on Venezuela by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk.

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Constant Rosales recognized as "very important the High Commissioner's pronouncements on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures, certainly affirming that they hinder the enjoyment of human rights by the Venezuelan people and recommending their lifting."

The official criticized the High Commissioner's office for referring to the unilateral coercive measures in terms of "sectoral sanctions," as it is "a term complacent with the illegality they promote."

The Permanent Representative also said that Turk's statements claim that the economic crisis precedes the implementation of restrictions by the U.S.

"While it is true that since 2015 the number of illegal measures has been exacerbated, currently reaching more than 900, which have resulted in the loss of 232 billion dollars in the last nine years, the economic and political strategies used to destabilize us since the beginning of the Bolivarian Revolution have been sufficiently documented," said Constant. 

On this National Independence Day, we had to respond to a report on Venezuela in the UN Human Rights Council. Today as yesterday, with the example of our Liberators and with truth and reason, we will continue to build our path to full prosperity.

The Venezuelan ambassador was addressing the 53rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, which is being held in Geneva, Switzerland.

In his report, Volker Turk said that "the sectoral sanctions imposed on Venezuela continue to aggravate the country's human rights problems and affect Venezuelans, including access to medicines and adequate health care."

The High Commissioner called for the lifting of these measures due to their harmful effects on the population.