The United Nations has condemned the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela, saying airstrikes and the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend “undermined a fundamental principle of international law.”
“States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. “This is precisely what we are witnessing.”
Shamdasani called on the international community to unite in condemning the action, describing it as a clear violation of the international legal framework established by UN member states.
U.S. commandos, supported by warplanes, naval forces, and airstrikes, seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the early hours of Saturday. Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday to deny drug trafficking and other charges brought by Washington, insisting that he had been kidnapped and remains Venezuela’s legitimate president. Maduro assumed office in 2013, succeeding his populist mentor Hugo Chávez.
The United States and the European Union have accused Maduro of staying in power through rigged elections, most recently in 2024, imprisoning political opponents, and overseeing widespread corruption.
Shamdasani dismissed U.S. justifications for the operation, stressing that accountability for human rights violations “cannot be achieved through unilateral military intervention in violation of international law.” She warned that using human rights arguments to justify military action is “unacceptable” and feared the intervention “will only exacerbate the situation.”
The UN rights office also highlighted the Venezuelan authorities’ declaration of a state of emergency on Saturday, which allows property seizures, restricts freedom of movement, and suspends the right to protest. Shamdasani said, “Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention undermines the architecture of international security, making all countries less safe.”
UN agencies continue to monitor the humanitarian impact. The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) reported that nearly eight million Venezuelans—about a quarter of the population—required assistance even before the U.S. operation. While the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has not observed mass displacement since Saturday, spokeswoman Eujin Byun said the agency is closely tracking the situation and is ready to “support emergency relief efforts and protect displaced people in need.”
Since early 2024, the UN rights office has been monitoring the situation from Panama after its staff were expelled from Venezuela.
