In the early morning hours of January 3, the United States military conducted strikes on Venezuela and took into custody the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The brazen military assault risks causing a new human rights disaster for Venezuelans who have already suffered for a decade at the hands of the Maduro government.
Following the strikes, President Donald Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela for the time being, without specifying what this means. US officials have since indicated that they intend to work with Delcy Rodríguez, who had been serving as Maduro’s vice president and was sworn in as interim president on January 5.
While Venezuelans are entitled to freely choose their own leaders and decide their nation’s future, the US instead appears poised to actively encourage Venezuela to maintain Maduro’s repressive apparatus as long as it furthers US political and business interests.
“Trump’s decapitation of the Venezuelan government has done nothing to protect Venezuelans from further abuse,” said Human Rights Watch’s Americas director Juanita Goebertus.
Venezuelans have suffered a decade-long humanitarian crisis under the Mauro government, with severe shortages of food and medicine. Seven million Venezuelans have fled the country and 14.2 million others have severe humanitarian needs.
Following July 2024 elections, elections, the Maduro government carried out a wave of widespread human rights violations, including killings of protesters and arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of opposition leaders, critics, human rights defenders, and foreign nationals.
Trump has also said the United States would “run” Venezuela until there is a “judicious transition.” The US government has not specified when or how any transition might take place or whether that process would include free and fair elections, the release of political prisoners, and other key human rights changes.
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