UN Report on Venezuela "Abuses" Written by Investigators Who Never Visited Venezuela
September 16, 2020September 16, 2020 (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - The Western media is touting the results of a so-called "Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" conducted through the United Nations.
AFP in an article titled, "Venezuela president behind crimes against humanity: UN probe," would claim:
In their first report, a team of investigators tasked with probing a slew of alleged violations in Venezuela said they had found evidence that state actors, including President Nicolas Maduro, were behind serious international crimes.
It is only until the ninth paragraph that AFP finally admits (emphasis added):
The three-person team was unable to visit Venezuela, but based their findings on 274 remote interviews with victims, witnesses, former state officials and others, and analysis of confidential documents, including legal case files.
Other articles announcing the "investigation" including CNN's "Venezuela's government accused of committing crimes against humanity in UN report," make no mention at all of the fact investigators never set foot in Venezuela before drawing their conclusions.
Zero Credibility
It would be unimaginable for police to never bother visiting a crime scene before carrying out and concluding an investigation based on " remote interviews" with people who claimed to be witnesses. Likewise, it is unimaginable that any legitimate investigation into Venezuela's internal political affairs can be conducted by "investigators" who never bothered to even visit the country.
And of course, the UN investigation is not legitimate. Interviews and accusations are where investigations begin, not where they end. The collection of actual evidence is required to substantiate such claims - a collection of evidence the politically-motivated interests behind this latest investigation and its public promotion have no interest in carrying out.
UN "Investigation" Enables, Not Exposes Abuse
As to why there are efforts to accuse Venezuela of "crimes against humanity" without carrying out a real investigation stem from ongoing efforts by Washington and its European allies to overthrow the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and install their handpicked proxy Juan Guaido.
In addition to this blatant example of political interference in Venezuela's internal political affairs - announcing an opposition figure "president" of a country outside of said nation's own political processes - the US has spent millions of dollars annually funding opposition groups in an attempt to undermine Venezuela's political independence.
The US National Endowment for Democracy's (NED) own current webpage admits to extensively interfering in every imaginable aspect of Venezuela's internal political affairs with funds directed at:- Building Strategic Capacity for Local Democratic Actors
- Cohesive Strategic Communications
- Defending Human Rights Victims
- Developing Tools for Agile Communication
- Empowering Citizens through Local and National Policy Dialogue
- Facilitating Humanitarian Aid Relief
- Formulating a Comprehensive Public Policy Reform Package
- Fostering Scenario Planning and Strategic Analysis
- Fostering Small Business Enterprise in Defense of Democracy and Free Markets
- Improving Democratic Governance in Venezuela
- Improving Local Democratic Governance
- Leadership Empowerment and Socio-Political Participation
- Monitoring Human Rights Conditions
- Monitoring the Human Rights Situation
- Promoting Access to Justice and Public Services
- Promoting Checks and Balances
- Promoting Citizen Journalism
- Promoting Citizen Participation and Freedom of Expression
- Promoting Democratic Governance
- Promoting Democratic Values
- Promoting Dialogue and Reconciliation
- Promoting Freedom of Association
- Promoting Freedom of Expression and Access to Information
- Promoting Human Rights
- Promoting Independent Journalism
- Promoting Political Engagement and Advocacy
- Promoting the Rule of Law
Curiously there is no ongoing UN investigation into the United States' violations of the UN's own Charter, Chapter 1, Article 2 which states:
All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.
And there is no such investigation into Washington's actions against Venezuela despite actual, documented evidence existing of America's violations of international laws and norms. There is also a growing body of evidence of actual violence the US is sponsoring inside of Venezuela as well as open, admitted threats of violence made by Washington against Venezuela and its allies including the blockading and seizure of freight and tanker ships.
Such "investigations" based entirely on hearsay are a common feature of US-sponsored regime change around the world. Similar "investigations" were carried out in Syria only to be later revealed as politically-motivated and even deceptive by whistleblowers. This latest "investigation" is simply one of many in which the US, its allies, and the Western media are abusing international institutions, transforming them from checks and balances and into political weapons and vehicles for their own self-serving propaganda.