The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published today, 30 August 2018, the long-delayed report of the Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (United States of America, Switzerland) on his visit to Venezuela and Ecuador form 26 November to 9 December 2017

Professor de Zayas was the first UN rapporteur to visit Venezuela since 1996.  He is also one of the few rapporteurs to have recently visited Ecuador. The mission aimed at examining the social and economic models prevalent in ALBA countries so as to formulate constructive proposals to improve the human rights situation and issue pragmatic recommendations how to solve economic and political tensions. He conducted the mission pursuant to the terms of reference of the international order mandate.  Bearing in mind that the expert is not a “super rapporteur” or a plenipotentiary, his mission could not…

Link to original article: ttps://www.unspecial.org/2018/09/successful-un-mission-to-venezuela/

From 26 November to 4 December 2017, I carried out the first visit to Venezuela by a UN rapporteur since 1996. Whereas numerous countries welcome rapporteurs, many do not, partly because they perceive rapporteurs as a priori hostile and not independent. When States anticipate that rapporteurs will mainly grandstand instead of listening to stakeholders and formulating constructive recommendations, invitations will not be forthcoming. In my 13 prior reports to the Council and General Assembly I demonstrated a result-oriented approach, offering pragmatic solutions to concrete problems. Thus, I am pleased to have opened doors for other rapporteurs, two new visits currently being prepared.

Admittedly, my competences were limited by the terms of reference of the international order mandate². I was not a super rapporteur and could therefore not focus on para-institutional problems, freedom of expression, independence of judges or the rights to food…

Link: https://www.democracynow.org/2019/1/24/former_un_expert_the_us_is

There is nothing more undemocratic than a coup d’état.

Today I gave interviews to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now and to Le Courrier de Genève on the constitutional crisis in Venezuela.

Link to the article: https://www.democracynow.org/2019/1/24/former_un_expert_the_us_is

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As President Trump announces that the U.S. will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s new leader and sitting President Nicolás Maduro breaks off relations with the United States, we speak with a former U.N. independent expert who says the U.S. is staging an illegal coup in the country. Alfred de Zayas, who visited Venezuela as a U.N. representative in 2017, says, “The mainstream media has been complicit in this attempted coup. … This reminds us of the run-up to the Iraq invasion of 2003.” We also speak with Miguel Tinker Salas, professor at Pomona College and author of “The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela” and “Venezuela: What…