Situation in Venezuela

Tabled by Ernest Urtasun, Barbara Lochbihler, Igor Šoltes, Jordi Sebastià, Josep-Maria Terricabras, Ernest Maragall on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of Vice-President/High Representative Federica Mogherini on the situation in Venezuela,

–       having regard to the communication from the Secretary-General of UNASUR, former Colombian President Ernest Samper, on the situation in Venezuela,

–       having regard to its debate in the micro-plenary of 25 February 2015,

–       having regard to its previous resolutions on Venezuela,

–       having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.     whereas the rising political polarisation, economic crisis and product shortages in Venezuela are matters of utmost concern which seriously call into question the further stability and peaceful future of the country;

B.     whereas violence from any side is a totally unacceptable tool for achieving political aims in a democratic state; whereas attempts to violently disrupt the constitutional order of a country are in open breach of the rule of law;

C.     whereas the arrest and detention of the elected Mayor of Caracas and opposition leader Antonio Ledezma, as well as allegations of intimidation of political opponents over the past weeks, are alarming and further exacerbate the already very tense situation in the country;

D.     whereas any arrest, and even more so the arrest of an elected official, has to be underpinned by a clear judicial order, must be based on verifiable accusations and must be followed, if maintained, by a due legal process; whereas the presumption of innocence is indispensable for a due legal process;

E.     whereas a democratic state must not criminalise the leaders of the political opposition and must guarantee the participation of all sectors in the political life of the country and the human rights of those who declare themselves part of the opposition, as Human Rights Watch stated on 24 February 2015;

F.     whereas the allegation of the preparation of a coup d’état, the so-called ‘Operación Jericó’, is a very grave accusation, and whereas the competent authorities of any state must clarify and thwart such an operation;

G.     whereas investigations into the current accusations of preparation of a coup must be quickly and impartially carried out, and the culprits must be condemned irrespective of their political position and convictions;

H.     whereas similar disturbances in the streets at the beginning of 2014 had the very high cost of 43 people killed, of whom 33 were civilians and 10 belonged to the police, the army or other public services, while 878 people were hurt, with a similar distribution of victims between civilians and members of the security or other public services;

I.      whereas Kluivert Roa, a fourteen-year-old teenager who was, according to his father, a casual bystander and neither in favour of nor against the government, was fatally shot in the head on 24 February 2015, during demonstrations in the city of San Cristóbal in western Venezuela, being the first person killed in the context of protest-related violence since the adoption in January by the Ministry of Defence of Resolution 8610, which allows the security forces to use lethal weapons in the course of surveillance of public demonstrations;

J.      whereas UNASUR, as the most significant regional organisation, has accompanied the evolution of the situation in Venezuela and has announced that it will send a mission, consisting of the foreign ministers of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, to the country, to be followed by an extraordinary session of the organisation’s foreign ministers;

1.      Expresses its condolences to and solidarity with all victims of recent violence and political polarisation and with their families, as well as of the violence which occurred following 12 February 2014;

2.      Calls for a swift and impartial investigation into all unsolved cases, in particular with respect to the accusations against the mayor of Caracas; asks for his immediate release, if no formal charge according to the law is brought against him by the prosecutors and the allegations turn out to be unfounded, or if charges are not confirmed in an impartial trial in full respect of the rule of law;

3.      Stresses that the spiral of violence in Venezuela must be stopped, and that political depolarisation, an end to political perturbation, and mediation in all aspects that matter in the current tension in Venezuela are essential to a peaceful solution for the country and its population as a whole;

4.      Reiterates that no solution can be found without the maintenance of the rule of law and respect for the constitutional order;

5.      Notes that after Kluivert Roa’s death a member of the police force was charged with intentional homicide by the prosecutor, and calls for a trial under due process of law; notes that members of the Venezuelan Government have condemned the killing; emphasises that lethal weapons should never be used by the security forces to control public demonstrations;

6.      Expresses its trust in the close cooperation of the UNASUR Foreign Ministers and in their offer to open further channels of cooperation;

7.      Welcomes the offer to mediate made by UNSUR and Venezuela’s regional partners; expresses its trust in the close cooperation and constructive dialogue to be initiated by the UNASUR Foreign Ministers and in their offer to open further channels of cooperation; reiterates its hope that there will be a peaceful run-up to the elections and that they will be duly held in Venezuela later this year;

8.      Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Secretariat of UNASUR.