Overview

• The fact‑finding mission reports a sustained policy of political persecution that includes detaining relatives of opposition figures to instill fear and social control.
• Investigators documented sexual and gender‑based violence in detention, including coercive transactional sex, sexual torture, and acts that could amount to sexual slavery.
• The mission counted more than 2,220 detentions and 25 deaths after the July 28, 2024 election, including at least 218 children and between 120 and 150 foreign nationals.
• Despite releases beginning in November 2024, repression continued in 2025 as courts and oversight bodies ignored complaints and new laws restricted civil society groups.
• Spain demanded the immediate release of detained nationals, Switzerland offered to mediate, Turkey urged dialogue, and the Venezuelan government rejected the findings, while NGOs report 823 political prisoners and disputed release figures.