The IACHR asks the Venezuelan regime to refrain from approving the law that aims to control the operation of NGOs

There Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) asked the Venezuelan regime this Monday that it does not ratify a law that will regulate the functioning of non-governmental organizations and, on the contrary, to adopt measures to “rebuild democracy”.

“In Venezuela there is a hostile environment against human rights organizations, in which smear campaigns prevailstigmatization and acts of harassment as a result of their advocacy activities,” say the IACHR and the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE).

For this reason “they urge Venezuela to refrain from approving any type of legislation or regulation that arbitrarily limits the right of association, freedom of expression and participation in matters of public interest” and ask it to take “measures aimed at rebuilding democracy and the rule of law”.

On January 24, the Chavismo-dominated Venezuelan Parliament approved, in its first debate, a law that will regulate the operation of NGOs. The second ballot is pending and undated.

In addition to “limit the activities that can be developed by organizations”, the bill grants the authorities thethe power to dissolve unilaterally those who participate in what it considers to be “political activities or which threaten the national stability and the institutions of the Republic”, explains the IACHR in a press release.

The presentation of the project before the Assembly was characterized by stigmatizing references to 62 organizations described as “enemies”, “traitors to the fatherland” and “fronts of the party”, declared the CIDH and the RELE.

In Venezuela, many NGOs have undertaken tasks such as collecting data on inflationthe clues of poverty there epidemiological data before lack of official figures or the opacity of information.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an office created by the IACHR, which in turn is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS).

After the first discussion of the project, 26 Venezuelan NGOs affirmed that the proposal, which aims to control the actions and financing of non-governmental organizations, constitutes a biting which will apply to institutions that indicate irregularities” of state officials.

“It is a vulgar gag, applicable to organizations that report irregularities or abusive procedures by state officials or agencies.“, they underlined in a press release published by the NGO provide on its web page.

They also said that the bill, which still has to go through a second debate, promotes an “intimidating framework, which favors the submission of civil organizations to the whims and demands of a government appointed by a large part of the international democratic community to exercise de facto the functions of the national executive.

“Many of the existing NGOs in Venezuela carry out humanitarian work that is recognized, appreciated and thanked by vulnerable sectors of society. They cover spaces neglected by the authorities who, in theory, should take care of such tasks,” they added.

The organizations indicated that the chavista regimeinstead of creating instruments favoring the “intimidation and intervention” of NGOs, “could stimulate these forms of social solidarity, of working together for the well-being” of society.

The initial draft law that regulates NGOs, shared by some legislators, envisages fines up to $12,000 groups that do not register with the controlling entity they plan to create and do not declare the identity and origin of donations.

(With information from AFP)

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