In a call to action issued on Wednesday, an international human rights group urged the United States and other global entities to intensify their support for democratic reforms in Venezuela and hold President Nicolás Maduro accountable for the suppression of dissent following last year’s contested presidential election. The organization, Human Rights Watch, specifically suggested that the U.S. should consider imposing additional sanctions on officials within the Venezuelan government as well as members of state security forces. It also advocated for extending these sanctions to include armed groups loyal to the ruling party. This follows a pattern of reported widespread violations of human rights subsequent to the contentious July 28 election, which Maduro asserts he won despite substantial indications suggesting otherwise.
In tandem with these suggestions, the group advised the U.S. to repeal an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year that imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court due to its investigations concerning Israel. This directive could potentially interfere with the court’s ongoing inquiry into potential crimes against humanity in Venezuela. Human Rights Watch cautioned that while the Trump administration has not directly opposed the Court’s involvement with the Venezuelan situation, the sanctions program appears purposefully structured to discourage broader cooperation and pressure Court officials, potentially impacting the rights of victims internationally.
The recent report from Human Rights Watch adds to a growing body of evidence from human rights advocates highlighting Venezuela’s crackdown on opposition members, protesters, and civilians following the election. Their investigations have implicated both state security forces and pro-government armed groups in numerous abuses, including killings and torture, carried out against opposition members and demonstrators. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, predominantly made up of government supporters, announced Maduro as the victor of the July 28 election. However, unlike in previous electoral processes, the authorities did not provide detailed voting data to verify the proclaimed outcome. Meanwhile, the opposition gathered 85% of the results from electronic voting machines, demonstrating that their candidate, Edmundo González, had won with a significant leading margin.
International observers, including U.N. experts and the U.S.-based Carter Center, both initially invited by Maduro’s government to observe the electoral process, endorsed the opposition’s results as legitimate. In the turbulent days following the election, over 2,000 individuals were taken into custody, with many facing charges of terrorism and incitement to hatred. Among the detainees were opposition members and foreign nationals, some of whom experienced enforced disappearances. Although the majority have since been released, many opposition affiliates remain incarcerated.
Drawing from data provided by opposition party Vente Venezuela, the report published on Wednesday reveals that between November 2023 and April 2025, 285 individuals associated with opposition parties were detained; as of April 10, 100 of those individuals had been released. Human Rights Watch urged international governments to engage with Maduro’s administration strategically to foster tangible human rights improvements, such as the liberation of arbitrarily detained individuals, revealing all detainees’ locations, and resolving cases built on fabricated charges.
Furthermore, the report called upon the U.S. government to reinstate funding for humanitarian initiatives and human rights programs in Venezuela. Human Rights Watch highlighted that decisions made by the Trump administration to halt foreign assistance globally have negatively impacted organizations crucial to the country’s ecosystem, including independent journalists and groups providing legal support for arbitrarily detained individuals.