More than 400 international organizations reject the bill that seeks to stifle Venezuelan NGOs

On January 24, Venezuela’s National Assembly approved in its first debate a bill that seeks to corner the country’s civil society organizations by forcing them, among other things, to ask the government for permission to be created and to operate. This bill is the government’s latest attempt to corner Venezuelan civil society and adds to the persecution of trade unionists and guild leaders, as well as the criminalization of independent journalists and media outlets.

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In response, 414 Venezuelan, Colombian, and international organizations – including Dejusticia, Amnesty International, WOLA, Transparency International, Women’s Link Worldwide, and the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) – signed a statement rejecting this bill for violating the right to freedom of association and closing civic space, leading to the co-optation of the social fabric.

In the statement, we make two requests. First, that the approval process for the bill be dismissed, including its reform or any other legal norm on the legislative agenda that goes in a similar direction. We demand that, on the contrary, the right to the free constitution, functioning, operation, and formalization of legal personality of all forms of non-profit association be recognized and facilitated.

Second, that the limits of States in international human rights treaties be respected for establishing norms that affect the right to freedom of association and the standards of a free and safe environment for civic space. This would guarantee the essential rights of freedom and the autonomy of people to associate and for society to have associations to participate in matters that affect it.