Venezuela Expels U.N. Human Rights Staff Amid Crackdown on Dissent

The Venezuelan government orders the closure of the local U.N. human rights office, intensifying its actions against critics as presidential elections approach.

Venezuela's government has ordered the local U.N. human rights office to suspend operations and given its staff 72 hours to leave, following the detention of human rights activist Rocio San Miguel.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil accused the U.N. office of promoting opposition and behaving in a 'colonialist, abusive' manner.
Rocio San Miguel, a prominent rights advocate, was detained at an airport in Caracas, accused of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed 'deep concern' over San Miguel's detention and called for her immediate release.
The expulsion of the U.N. human rights agency and San Miguel's arrest mark a significant escalation in the Venezuelan government's crackdown on dissent.

Voice of America (VOA News)