Venezuela given seat on UN Human Rights Council

Venezuela has won a seat on the UN Human Rights Council after a vote by the General Assembly.

The decision came despite rights groups and opponents of Nicolas Maduro‘s government urging countries to vote against the move.

The 193-member General Assembly is electing 14 members to the 47-member Human Rights Council for three-year terms starting 1 January 2020.

The Geneva-based council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues.

It also periodically reviews human rights in every UN member country.

The decision to award Venezuela a seat will prove controversial at best.

The Maduro administration has been accused of torture and intimidation of citizens.

The government is no longer recognised as legitimate by around 50 countries around the world.

Maduro also faced numerous calls to resign after accusations of rigging the 2018 election.

Meanwhile, nationwide shortages of basic goods have fuelled a financial collapse, and the country has seen sharp reductions in oil production.

The severe political and economic crisis has caused millions of Venezuelans to leave their homes.

”A vote for Venezuela is a vote for the torture, murder and impunity that have become trademarks of President Nicolas Maduro’s government,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, before the vote.

There was scattered applause in the General Assembly chamber on Thursday after the result was announced.

Brazil topped the ballot with 153 votes followed by Venezuela with 105 votes.

In other contested races, Iraq lost out in the Asian group to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Marshall Islands, and Moldova lost in the Eastern Europe group to Armenia and Poland.

The UNHCR comprises 47 members distributed by region.

Additional reporting by agencies