Venezuela’s Descent into state Terror: A Report Highlights Systemic Repression and International Failure
A recent report paints a grim picture of Venezuela, detailing a systematic and escalating pattern of state-sponsored repression that has reached its most perilous phase in recent history. The findings reveal a intentional erosion of democratic institutions and a chilling effect on civil society, despite the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The report documents a staggering number of human rights violations. Since the beginning of the documented period, authorities have committed over 3,600 cases of torture, with a disturbing 1,116 occurring after the ICC Prosecutor’s Office initiated formal action. Furthermore, 116 individuals have been subjected to forced disappearance, 78 of those after the ICC’s involvement began. The scale of arbitrary detention is equally alarming,with 18,582 arrests recorded,peaking in 2024 with over 2,200 detentions in just nine days following the presidential election.
While the number of reported political prisoners decreased from 1,794 in 2024 to 884 at the end of 2025, the report cautions against interpreting this as progress. Instead, it attributes the decline to a climate of fear and self-censorship, effectively silencing victims and hindering documentation efforts.
The report identifies three distinct phases in the evolution of repression:
* 2014-2018: This period saw the consolidation of a state apparatus dedicated to violence, characterized by widespread extrajudicial executions and the deployment of military, police, and intelligence forces to suppress protests and target opposition figures.
* 2019-2021: The state shifted tactics, moving violence away from public view and into closed environments like courts and intelligence facilities. Superficial judicial reforms were implemented, ultimately reinforcing impunity rather than addressing it.
* 2022-2025: This phase marks the complete institutionalization of violence, establishing a dual legal system – one public, one clandestine – that facilitates the persecution, detention, torture, and silencing of citizens, activists, journalists, and political leaders.
This progression, the report argues, has created a “system of state terror” where courts, security forces, and armed groups operate in a coordinated and ruthless manner.
The report also highlights the alarming collapse of Venezuelan civil society. The passage of restrictive “anti-NGO” legislation, coupled with raids, digital surveillance, threats, and the criminalization of international cooperation, has severely curtailed the ability of organizations to document abuses. This suppression explains the decrease in reported cases in 2025 – the repression continues, but the capacity to record it has been systematically dismantled. The report further documents instances of extraterritorial persecution, with activists facing threats, surveillance, and attacks even in countries like Colombia and Chile, a trend that appears to be expanding.
Critically, the report levels criticism at the ICC Prosecutor’s Office’s strategy of “cooperation” with the Venezuelan regime. High-level visits and the establishment of a technical office in Caracas, it argues, have inadvertently allowed authorities to project an image of reform while simultaneously refining their repressive mechanisms. While acknowledging the ICC’s formal investigation, the panel urges the Prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for those most responsible, believing that only decisive judicial action can halt the violence and initiate genuine accountability.
The report concludes with a call for a “coordinated, immediate and sustained” international response to protect victims, rebuild civic space, and ensure justice after more than a decade of systematic violations. It delivers a stark warning: “Venezuela has entered the darkest phase of its recent history.”
