Venezuela Rejects U.N. Report on Post-Election Repression

Venezuela's government rejected a U.N. human rights report that criticized the state's post-election repression of political opponents and children. The report highlighted violent methods used against dissenters after contested elections. Venezuela's government defended its human rights record and criticized the U.N.'s approach as coercive and biased.

Venezuela's government firmly rejected a United Nations human rights report on Friday, which criticized the state's repression of political opponents and children following contested elections. The report, presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, alleged that Venezuelan authorities employed more violent methods against dissenters post the disputed July 28 vote.

'This shameful mission's persistence is a clear sign of the erratic drift led by the U.N. system's institutions, which are increasingly misplaced in their functions and turning into instruments of coercion and blackmail against peoples and sovereign governments,' the Venezuelan government stated, defending its human rights record and apparatus.

The Human Rights Council has not addressed Venezuela's denunciations of U.S. sanctions and assassination attempts against President Nicolas Maduro, according to the government. Meanwhile, the opposition published voting tallies indicating a victory for candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who sought asylum in Spain. Protests post-elections resulted in numerous arrests and deaths, with the U.N. reporting on child detentions and abuses.

(With inputs from agencies.)