The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission reports that the force has been central to systematic repression since 2014, fostering impunity and violating fundamental rights.
“The evidence we have collected demonstrates the role of the GNB in a systematic and coordinated pattern of repression against opponents or those perceived as such, ongoing for over a decade,” stated Marta Valiñas, the Mission’s Chair.
“These persistent crimes and lack of proper justice necessitate a resolute response from national and international accountability mechanisms.”
Excessive Force
The GNB employed excessive force, including inappropriate use of lethal weapons, during major protest periods in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024.
The Mission indicated it has reasonable grounds to believe that officials fired indiscriminately at protestors, aiming directly at vital body areas.
Investigators received reports of projectiles being modified to inflict greater harm.
They also documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions, physical violence during arrests, planting of evidence, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence inside GNB facilities used as temporary detention centers.
Pattern of Abuse
“The torture, ill-treatment, and sexual violence we verified – including assaults and rape – were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of abuse intended to punish and break victims,” said Ms. Valiñas.
The report found the GNB was central in committing persecution on political grounds, a crime against humanity.
The military force also played a vital role in the 2024 post-election “Operation Tun Tun” raids to target and criminalize opponents through baseless accusations of terrorism or incitement to hatred.
Structural Impunity and Systemic Failures
The report identifies “a pattern of structural impunity sustained by systemic failures within the Venezuelan judicial system, revealing its inability or unwillingness to investigate or prosecute violations committed by the GNB.”
This is further marked by stalled investigations, procedural paralysis, evidence manipulation, deliberate obstruction by the GNB, and accountability exclusively limited to low-ranking personnel.
The report contains an in-depth analysis of the branch’s internal operational structures, including its chain of command.
It details how Venezuela’s “national security” doctrine has merged military and police functions, legitimizing the militarization of public security and expanding the GNB’s role in operations aimed at social control and internal repression.
About the Fact-Finding Mission
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was established by the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019 to assess alleged violations committed in the country since 2014.
Over the past year, it has also focused on investigating the human rights situation surrounding the disputed 2024 presidential elections and on violence by pro-government militias known as “colectivos”.
The Mission consists of three members who receive their mandate from the Human Rights Council, based in Geneva. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
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