As is customary at the beginning of each session of this body, T.rk presented an assessment of the situation of human rights in the world and of the most worrying situations, among which the cases of Venezuela and Nicaragua brought to light
Venezuela and Nicaragua, among other countries, were criticized Monday by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tirk, for their actions to gag freedom of expression and restrict the right to assembly and association.
These freedoms are vital to a critical debate, to bring the best out of societies and find solutions to the most important problems,” stressed the head of human rights of the United Nations at the opening of the fifty-seventh session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
As is customary at the beginning of each session of this body, Tirk presented a stock of the situation of human rights in the world and of the most worrying situations, among which the cases of Venezuela and Nicaragua, plunged into profound political and socio-economic crises, brought to light up.
On the other hand, it denounced the taking control by powerful political and economic actors of institutions that, by definition, should be totally independent, such as the judiciary or electoral bodies.
This in order to silence those who have different positions and to take out resources only for their own benefit.
In this type of problem he identified Guatemala, where – he argued – criminal rules are being manipulated by some entities, such as the Attorney General’s Office, to exert pressure and prosecute human rights defenders.
This article has been translated after first appearing in La Prensa Ni