UN Venezuela Fact-Finding Missionโ faces Uncertainty as Two Members Resign
The UNS International Mission Autonomousโข ofโค Determination of Facts on Venezuela is facing questions about its future followingโ the resignations of two of its three members. francisco Cox Vial and Patricia Tappatรก Valdez announcedโข their departures,โข citing professional obligations and concerns over operational limitations, respectively. Their last day will be October 31st, leaving Portuguese โขjurist Martaโ Valiรฑas as the sole remaining member of the group.
Francisco Cox Vial, aโข Chilean lawyer โฃwho has โขserved on โฃthe mission since its establishment in โข2019, communicated his decision in a letter to Ambassador Jรผrg โคLauber on September โค23rd. He expressed gratitude for the support received from the Human Rights Council throughout his tenure, acknowledging โฃthe challenging conditions under which the mission operated. Cox stated his resignation stemmed from other professional commitments and a belief that fresh perspectives โcould further contribute to fulfilling the mission’sโ mandate.โ He also praised โthe dedication ofโค hisโฃ colleagues, Marta Valiรฑas and Patricia Tappatรก Valdez,โข and the โขcooperation of Venezuelan victims and organizations.
Patricia โTappatรก Valdez, an Argentinian human โฃrights defender who joinedโ the mission in 2021, explainedโข her resignationโฃ through a public statement.She voiced concern regarding “recently announced limitations” that she believes โฃwill further jeopardize theโ team’s work. Tappatรก Valdez emphasized that the mission’sโข mandateโ requires “specialized knowledge and exclusive dedication,”โ conditions she argues areโ now compromised by budget cuts and increasing operational restrictions.
Since 2014, Cox Vial and Tappatรก Valdez have been instrumentalโ inโฃ investigating and documenting allegedโข human rights violations in Venezuela, including extrajudicialโ executions, arbitrary detentions, โขand reports of torture, possibly constituting crimes against humanity. Despite โฃobstacles such as limited witness availability and a lack of cooperationโ fromโฃ theโค venezuelan government, theirโ reportsโ have โbeenโ crucial in attributing responsibility to senior officials within the Nicolรกs Maduro administration and maintaining international focus โon the ongoing crisis.
The departure of two key members raises significant doubts about the mission’s ability to โคcontinue its work โeffectively, particularly amidst escalating political โtensions in Venezuela.