The human rights panel calls on the Venezuelan government to respect civil liberties as the presidential term approaches.
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced a $100,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of exiled opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
Thursday’s announcement comes eight days before Maduro is sworn in for a third term, following a contested presidential election in July.
In the months since the vote, Maduro’s government has issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, his rival in the race.
“A $100,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides information on his whereabouts,” the country’s Forensic, Criminal and Scientific Investigation Agency said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
The post framed a photo of Gonzalez in the style of a “wanted” poster.
Maduro’s government has claimed the president won in his re-election bid, but has refused to release the usual breakdown of voter counts that accompany elections.
Meanwhile, the opposition accused Maduro of electoral fraud and said Gonzalez was the rightful winner. He released what appeared to be election tallies showing Gonzalez beating Maduro by a two-to-one margin.
Regional leaders have also cast doubt on Maduro’s claims of victory, demanding that the government release voter records that could prove the results.
The government has yet to do so, and Gonzalez fled the country for Spain after the September arrest warrant.
He had previously said he would return at the start of the new presidential term, and on Thursday, Argentina’s government indicated he was on his way to Buenos Aires.
Human rights groups and international organizations such as the United Nations have criticized the Maduro government for repressive activities both before and since the contested election, including arbitrary arrests and torture. About 2,000 people were arrested after the election and 23 were killed.
With Maduro’s third inauguration ceremony approaching on January 10, a group of UN human rights experts called on Venezuelan authorities on Thursday to respect civil liberties, including the right to protest.
“We make a strong appeal to the authorities so that the rights to demonstrate and express freely can be exercised without fear of possible reprisals,” the group’s president, Marta Valinas, said in a statement.
Maduro has become increasingly isolated after contested elections and a heavy police crackdown on opposition-led protests. Even left-wing allies in Brazil and Colombia have pushed for his government to issue transparent results.
The ongoing controversy over the election has also strained relations with Argentina, which has since severed diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Without formal diplomatic relations, Brazil has agreed to serve as a caretaker for Argentina’s embassy in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, where several opposition leaders have sought refuge. Argentina has repeatedly accused Venezuela of harassing those inside the embassy walls.
On Thursday, the government of Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing the Venezuelan government of the crime of “enforced disappearance” for the arrest of a member of the Argentine security services in December.
The Argentine government says Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, crossed into Venezuela to see family members.
Venezuelan prosecutors, however, say he is being investigated for possible ties to groups seeking to carry out “terrorist” acts in the country.
