WASHINGTON, D.C., January 10, 2020 — The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) held a special meeting on Friday, January 10, in Simon Bolívar Hall at OAS headquarters, 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., to consider “Recent Developments in Venezuela.” The meeting was held at the request of the Permanent Missions of Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela.
Underscoring that the Permanent Council adopted a resolution August 28, 2019 — in which it “firmly condemned the grave and systematic violations of human rights in Venezuela, including the use of torture, illegal and arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and the denial of the most basic rights and necessities, especially those related to health, food, and education – the Permanent Council at Friday’s Special Meeting resolved to:
- To condemn the use of force and intimidating tactics by the regime of Nicolas Maduro to try to prevent the deputies of the National Assembly from freely accessing the session convened for January 5, 2020 to democratically elect their Governing Board.
- To welcome the re-election of Juan Guaidó as the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly.
- To renew the call for a prompt return to democracy in Venezuela and, in that regard, reaffirm the need to hold inclusive, free, fair, and transparent presidential elections, conducted by a renewed and independent National Electoral Council and a renewed and independent Supreme Court of Justice and with the presence of independent international observers.
(SOURCE: OAS Website)
