Versión Español
Spanish – On Saturday, the Organization of American States (OAS) announced the appointment of attorney Jared Genser as a special advisor on the application of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle. The activation of this measure would allow a military peace operation in Venezuela. However, this is a situation that also depends on the United Nations.
OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro entrusted Genser with the functions of analyzing, studying, and debating how to develop, together with all interested parties, a mechanism for the OAS to prevent and respond to crimes in the region.
Similarly, Genser can make suggestions for possible lines of action to be executed by the said organization, as informed by a press release. This document establishes a conclusive position on the need to put an end to this evil of corruption promoted by the Nicolás Maduro regime.
“If existing international mechanisms are not responding to the demands and needs of the victims of mass atrocities in the Americas, at the very least the OAS should try to design and build a regional mechanism that can prevent and respond more efficiently, and in a timely manner, to crimes of this nature in the Western Hemisphere,” the OAS said.
The delayed call to activate the principle of R2P
The call for the activation of the R2P by the OAS comes a few days after the first pronouncement of the interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, on this issue. The leader of the coalition opposing Nicolás Maduro’s regime announced in his speech at the UN the intention to invoke this principle to protect the Venezuelan people.
Guaidó explained that in conjunction with the international community, the interim government had developed mechanisms of “preventive diplomacy.” But a critical point has been reached in the country, which is why he asserted that Venezuela is “at the end of the escalation that the pillars of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) outline on peaceful and diplomatic mechanisms.”
Guaidó’s petition has gained strength and momentum after several indications of human rights violations in Venezuela by the Nicolás Maduro regime became apparent. These facts were recently corroborated by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, which presented a report of at least 2,891 cases showing patterns of crimes against humanity.
Likewise, this appointment at the OAS strengthens its efforts since 2017 to respond to crimes taking place in the Americas after a demonstrated escalation of human rights violations.
The designation of Genser contributes to the development of an innovative new regional complement to the Responsibility to Protect. The UN General Assembly it at the 2005 World Summit.
The undisputed legality of R2P
Currently, there would be “carte blanche” for an intervention of this nature on Venezuela. The international community has support to enter the territory, and this measure arises after the Supreme Court of Justice in exile opened the doors to a military operation in the peace mission.
The TSJ in exile’s sentence issued on February 8, 2019, is clear in allowing an intervention. According to the document, the interim government of Guaidó is legally empowered to request the formation of an international coalition to enter Venezuela.
Through this ruling, the magistrates authorized Guaidó and the National Assembly to ask the member countries of the international community to open this international channel “by diplomatic means or by any other means, including a military coalition on a peace mission, to execute peremptory humanitarian aid.”
The measure is necessary to “fulfill the mandate to protect the people from the calamities they suffer due to shortage of food, medicine, and medical assistance,” the document stresses.
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