The United Nations on Tuesday condemned recent US air strikes on Venezuela and the seizure of the country’s leader, saying the actions undermined a core principle of international law.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said states must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another country.
“This is what we are seeing,” Shamdasani said, urging the international community to “come together with one voice” to affirm that the actions contravene international law as agreed by UN member states.
US commandos, supported by air strikes, naval assets and warplanes, seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the early hours of Saturday. Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges brought by Washington, insisting he had been kidnapped and remained Venezuela’s legitimate president.
The United States and the European Union have accused Maduro of clinging to power through rigged elections — most recently in 2024 — and the imprisonment of political opponents, while presiding over widespread corruption.
Shamdasani acknowledged that the UN human rights office had for years documented what it described as a “continued deterioration” of the human rights situation in Venezuela. However, she rejected Washington’s justification for the operation, stressing that accountability for rights violations could not be achieved through unilateral military action.
“Using human rights arguments as a justification for this kind of military intervention is unacceptable,” she said, warning that the US action was likely to worsen the situation rather than improve it.
She also drew attention to a state of emergency declared by Venezuelan authorities on Saturday, which allows for property seizures, restricts freedom of movement and suspends the right to protest, among other measures.
“Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention damages the architecture of international security, making every country less safe,” Shamdasani said.
The UN human rights office has been monitoring Venezuela from Panama since its international staff were expelled from the country in early 2024.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, said nearly eight million people in Venezuela — about a quarter of the population — required humanitarian assistance even before the US operation. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it had not yet observed signs of mass displacement but was closely monitoring developments.
UNHCR spokeswoman Eujin Byun said UN agencies stood ready to support emergency relief efforts and protect displaced people should the situation deteriorate further.
