HCIF-PFS Solidarity Statement On The Occasion Of 76th Anniversary Of 1948 Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

On 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. Following this proclamation, the 10th of December of every year became recognized as International Human Rights Day.

This International Human Rights Day reminds us of the enormous efforts still required to make human rights a reality for all. Human rights education will enables our people to be better informed of international perspectives on human rights and better appreciate the value of human life.

On this day, we celebrate 76th year of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document reflects humanity's aspirations for a future of prosperity, dignity and peaceful coexistence. It heralds the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom from intimidation, aggression, terrorism, heinous attacks and collective punishment. This is the highest aspiration of the people in the information age.

Today, people all over the world are taking a stand against US coercive measures towards Venezuela and its people. As part of a global day of action, the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS) calls on Washington and its allies to respect the inherent rights, freedom and dignity of the people of Venezuela.

US coercive measures through unilateral sanctions, vilification and undeclared economic war and malicious propaganda in the corporate media, have created untold sufferings for the ordinary Venezuelan person. And Through the practice of red-tagging of progressive leaders, the US has misrepresented the character and illuminating personality of constitutional President Nicolas Maduro as a threat to American economic and other ill-fated interests in Venezuela.

The recent acceleration of the anti-Venezuelan aggressive rhetoric and attempt to meddle in the internal matters of the Latin American nation have worsen the existing coercive environment—preparing the ground for possible outside military intervention, to overthrow the democratically-elected government, assassinate Venezuelan leaders and unleash terror on the population. We witnessed this in Libya in 2011 with the brutal murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and over one and half million Africans in the North African nation killed.

The US meddling mentality in Venezuela must stop, to save the Latin American nation from becoming another Libya. Venezuela is friendly to Africa and other oppressed region of the world, including Palestine. We demand that the US respect the sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela. In 2013, President Hugo Chavez was killed for defending the rights, freedom and dignity of the Venezuelan people. And now the gauntlet has been pointed again towards destabilising Venezuela, using precisely cheap pawns like Brazil and other willing neighbouring States to effect regime change in Caracas.

It must be stated here that on 28th July, 2024 the good, peaceful and freedom-people of Venezuela participated in a presidential election that was declared by god-fearing people as free, fair, inclusive and transparent. Prior to that exercise, the ominous signs of an election that was predetermined by Washington to favour the opposition were already clear. This led to the competent authorities in Caracas to immediately take the necessary action to draw the attention of the electoral umpire and the whole world to know.

Attempt to draw Argentina into US destabilization and regime change agenda in Venezuela was also exposed. Besides being indicted for providing launching pads for spurious attacks on Venezuela, Argentina has also been accused of joining Lula Brazil to push US regime change agenda in Caracas. It was alleged also that Argentina lavishly spent a hundred million dollars (US$100, 000, 000.) stashed away from poor Argentinean people to help subvert the 28th July, 2024 election processes in Venezuela.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that we all people have the right to "a decent standard of living, including food, clothing, housing, medical care and social services." Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. It is important to note that these rights have been considered more and more by international human rights mechanisms.

The rights of human dignity, equality and freedom are embedded and preserved in the Venezuelan Constitution, which is the cornerstone of that country’s constitutional and representative democracy. These include the right to citizenship and security, freedom of assembly, association, belief and opinion, and expression, the right to demonstrate, picket and petition, freedom from forced labour, servitude and slavery, the right to privacy and to exercise political rights, rights when arrested, detained and accused, and the right to freedom of movement.

The competent authorities in Caracas, despite attacks by the US and its allies, have made notable progress in mainstreaming the promotion and protection of human rights, freedom and dignity. This includes the recognition of the rights of refugees from war-torn Africa and the Middle-east.

The people of Venezuela are, and have been, among the world’s most thoughtful, determined and courageous defenders of human rights. The tension between championing and disregarding human rights surfaces because the rights framework is deeply flawed as it seeks to impose Western values on others. Applying this in Venezuela and other parts of the world is unjust, unfair and unacceptable because it’s often inconsistent; and makes mockery of human rights, freedom and dignity of people. This has rendered UDHR principles epileptic as they have failed to secure a more humane world.

Other critics of UDHR points that states hypocritically talk of human rights when there is an agenda to intervene in another state, ostensibly to defend civilian population against what they perceived as government attacks. These self-appointed world policemen sometimes disregard or even engage in rights abuses against their own people and other nationalities. For instance, the US government has been complicit in human rights abuses in Gaza, which now has reached a horrific scale, with a whole population of Palestinian Arab people displaced, or traumatised.

For Venezuela, the human rights situation after the demise of the former right wing fascist government has improved in all areas through development, economic growth, investment, tourism, declining poverty rates, rising living standards, employment, growth of the media, organisations, associations and political parties. Truly, the situation of human rights in Venezuela is not bad. Some countries are experiencing civil war, ethnic, cultural and religious conflicts and even massacres. Other countries have people fleeing war. Some have lost their national dignity to occupation foreign forces, etc. So, if one looks at the regional and international context and history, the human rights environment in Venezuela is far better.

President Nicolas Maduro is on record to be working tirelessly towards consolidating and reinforcing democracy in the Venezuelan national body politics and has expressed many times the personal and national satisfaction felt in his patriotic and renewed commitment to make Venezuela a peaceful and happy society. Contrary to its adversaries, the government of Venezuela has been able to establish a complete modern democratic system. So the re-election victory of constitutional President Maduro should and must be seen here as dividends of good governance, as well as a stronger and efficient political arrangement.

There is no gain saying the fact that the Venezuelan people appreciate the work of their elected leaders. Thanks to the vision guiding the Bolivarian Project. The Bolivarian Revolution teaches that every Venezuelan person has the right to exercise his or her democratic freedom in a free, inclusive and fair elections of officials entrusted not only with the duty of governance but also charged with the higher responsibility of working for a better future for the Venezuela nation. In particular, the Bolivarian Revolution teaches also that every citizen of Venezuela has the right to hold and express their views as to the future direction of their country.

On Human Rights Day, volunteers of the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity call on the US to respect the demands and aspirations of the Venezuelan people. We further call on the US to respect the Constitution of Venezuela, and end the targeting of the competent authorities in Caracas.

US collective punishment and regime change policy have had detrimental impact on Venezuelan society, creating fear, pains, suffering and traumas for the Venezuelan people. For a peaceful co-existence, it is crucial that the US abandon its hatreds for the people of Venezuela. We call on Washington to have a sober reflection of its regime change policy in Venezuela, and rededicate itself to upholding the human rights and democratic values of others, as enshrined in the UDHR and core human rights conventions.

Happy Human Rights Day to all! Let us celebrate together the spirit of human rights, freedom and dignity, and cherish the principles enshrined in the UDHR.

God bless Venezuela!

Long live Venezuela!!

Sender:
Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh
President of the Governing Council and International Executive Director
The Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS)
For and onbehalf of volunteers of the Hugo Chavez International Foundation for Peace, friendship and Solidarity (HCIF-PFS)

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