The Venezuelan government has suspended the activities of the advisory office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and asked its staff to leave the country within 72 hours.
According to the Report, this decision was announced by the country’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto during a press conference broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela announces the decision of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to suspend its technical advisory office in Venezuela; the staff of this office must leave the country within 72 hours,” Gil said, reading a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry accusing the UN High Commissioner in Venezuela of “colonialist policies and violations of the UN Charter”.
The Minister emphasised that since the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Venezuelan office has “adopted a biased position” and has sought to “ensure impunity for those involved in coup attempts and assassination plots against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and state and political figures in the country”.
Venezuela urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to “respect international law”, “the territorial integrity and jurisdiction of States” and expressed its readiness to continue its cooperation “in strict adherence to the principles of objectivity, impartiality, respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs”, the Republican Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
