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More Than 50 Countries Urge Venezuela To Get Aid Due To Food And Medicine Shortage

SHUTTERSTOCK/ Reynaldo Riobueno

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Neetu Arnold Contributor
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More than 50 countries urged Venezuela on Thursday to receive aid due to the country’s food and medicine shortages.

Peru Ambassador Claudio Julio de la Puente Ribeyro led a joint statement to the United Nation’s (U.N.) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, stating concerns over Venezuela’s authoritarian state. Ribeyro along with other ambassadors asked for Venezuela to bring back the rule of law into the country, according to Reuters.

“We are concerned by accounts concerning serious human rights violations that include extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, torture and ill-treatment, and the lack of access to justice,” the statement reads.

Economic mismanagement, exorbitant inflation, and a highly politicized government contribute to food and medicine shortages for Venezuelans. (RELATED: Many Venezuelans Forced To Use A Barter System As Inflation Rate Hits 40,000 Percent)

Additionally, police are unpredictable with implementing rules. A June U.N. report said “Venezuelan security forces are suspected of killing hundreds,” yet the police and government were immune from the consequences.

Conditions in the country have worsened, causing Venezuelans to flee to countries like Colombia, Brazil, Chile, and the United States. Colombia has particularly seen an influx of 250,000 Venezuelans since August, with 3,000 people still flowing into the country each day according to a Washington Post report.

Venezuela’s deputy ambassador Felix Pena Ramos denied claims of corruption. Allies of the country, Cuba and Bolivia, attempted to shut down Ribeyro from speaking, but failed.

Mexican ambassador Socorro Flores Liera echoed Peru’s concerns and spoke against the attempted censorship from Cuba and Bolivia.

“We are concerned that countries speaking about politicization are really those who are politicizing debates, preventing a group of countries from making statements,” said Liera.

The U.S. remained silent on the issue after resigning from the Human’s Rights Council in June because of “anti-Israel bias.”

British diplomat Bob Last did not believe all the human rights issues would be addressed by simply providing aid, but it would “be a good start.”

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