In the wake of the recent contentious presidential elections, political tensions in Venezuela have reached new heights, seeming to culminate in an abrupt, far-reaching power outage that plunged 80 percent of the population of the country, literally, into darkness. The chronic lack of investment in public infrastructure and the endemic corruption associated with it are likely to be the main reason for this and other blackouts that happen often. However, President Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition of committing “electrical sabotage” in an attempt to oust him from power.
Indeed, the outage happened on the heels of a presidential election that was conducted in a climate of repression and persecution and whose results have been unrecognized or widely questioned internationally for their lack of transparency and objective verification. Domestically, the results triggered massive public protests in which members of the political opposition, civil society activists, journalists, and ordinary Venezuelans from all walks of life took to the streets to express their collective distrust of the official results, outrage over country’s dire economic and political crisis, and demand for transformative change. For a brief moment, their sheer numbers and the unity of their voices gave hope that a window of opportunity had opened for real change.
These protests were not without risk. Since the election, the government has cracked down on dissent, detaining more than 2,000 people, restricted civil and political freedoms, intensified its surveillance of the population, and censored communication on digital and social media platforms. Moreover, the recently enacted Law for the Control, Regularization, Operations, and Financing of Nongovernmental and Related Organizations, known as the “anti-NGO law,” erodes the freedom of association and the right to participate in public affairs.
At this critical juncture, it must be acknowledged that a durable peace can only be achieved through an inclusive process that addresses the root causes of the conflict, pursues accountability for human rights violations—past and present—and tackles the underlying socioeconomic inequalities and systemic corruption that have plagued the country for far too long. In the absence of such an inclusive process, it will be impossible to find a path to peace and justice in Venezuela.
In countries grappling with massive human rights violations, from time to time, a window of opportunity does in fact open for society to come together and forge a path toward peace and justice. Unfortunately, such windows do not remain open indefinitely; on occasion, they close quickly and dramatically.
This is particularly true for Afghanistan. August marked the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power. After two decades of an internationally backed government endeavoring to steer the country toward a just and dignified society for all, Afghanistan was abruptly thrust back into authoritarianism. The fragile stability that had been established swiftly dissipated, giving rise to an all-too-familiar reality characterized by fear, repression, and the erosion of fundamental rights.
In the span of three years, Afghan women and girls have been the subject of over 100 decrees that together deny them even the most basic human rights, including the rights to education, health care services, movement, and expression. The latest decree prohibits women from going out in public with their faces uncovered or unaccompanied by a man, even from singing, as part of a systematic effort to silence their voices and erase them from society.
Paths to peace and justice are long and difficult. Sustainable peace and democratic systems require considerable effort, unwavering vigilance, and substantial resources. Human rights norms must animate any process put in place to achieve them, and the needs and experiences of victims of human rights abuses must be at the center. When a window of opportunity opens, we all at the regional and international levels must support a society’s efforts to seize on it before it closes and leaves its members in silence and darkness.
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PHOTO: Thousands of protesters gather at the Plaza Manco Cápac in Lima, Peru, on August 17, 2024, to demand freedom, justice, and democracy for Venezuela. (beny032/Flickr)
