With Trump's military action in Venezuela, the US has made every other country less safe

With Trump’s military action in Venezuela, the US has made every other country less safe
Volker Türk, UN high commissioner for human rights

This weakens the only mechanism we have to prevent world conflict, namely the UN. The international community must stand up for the rule of law


(Guardian) The US military operation in Venezuela undermines a fundamental principle of international law, agreed after the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust: states must not use force to pursue their territorial claims or political demands.

I am deeply disturbed by these events – and by some of the reactions I have seen. A narrative is emerging that seeks to justify the US military intervention as a response to the Nicolás Maduro government’s appalling human rights record.

My office has long condemned serious human rights violations by the Venezuelan authorities. We have reported, monitored and warned about the situation inside Venezuela – most recently, just before Christmas. We have consistently called for an end to unfair trials, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, the persecution of political opponents and sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. We have urged independent investigations and accountability. For many years, my team in Venezuela advocated for the release of human rights defenders, monitored trials and engaged with civil society and the opposition, as well as state institutions.

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Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention – in contravention of Venezuelan sovereignty and the UN charter – damages the architecture of international security, making every country less safe. It sends a signal that the powerful can do whatever they like, and weakens the only mechanism we have to prevent a third world war, namely the United Nations. No amount of deception and distraction can alter these facts. ....................(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/05/trump-military-action-venezuela-us