(ANSA) - GENEVA, SEPTEMBER 16 - President Nicolas Maduro and leading members of his government are responsible for crimes against humanity in Venezuela.
This was stated by the United Nations investigation team in its first report, speaking of a systematic use of torture and murder since 2014.
UN investigators have "good reasons to believe that the president", as well as the Minister of the Interior and that of Defense, "has ordered or contributed to ordering the criminals found", explains in a note Marta Valinas, who leads the team created a year ago by the UN Human Rights Council.
Some of these crimes, "including arbitrary killings and the systematic use of torture, are crimes against humanity," he said.
"These acts are very far from being isolated, these crimes have been coordinated and committed in the name of state directives with full knowledge of the facts and with the direct support of senior officials and government officials," the 411-page report continues.
The investigators called on the Venezuelan authorities to immediately conduct "independent, impartial and transparent investigations".
The report also believes that other bodies, including the International Criminal Court, "should also consider legal action against the persons responsible for these violations and crimes identified by the mission," Valinas said.
The UN team, which was able to visit Venezuela, based the findings of its report on 274 remote interviews with victims, witnesses, former state officials and others, and analysis of confidential documents, including case files.
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