Statement from the Lima Group

October 13, 2020

The governments of Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, members of the Lima Group, and Ecuador and El Salvador, observers of the Lima Group, are committed to contribute to the recovery of democracy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and to alleviate the multidimensional crisis suffered by the Venezuelan population, and:

1. Renew their support of President Juan Guaidó and the National Assembly as legitimate and democratically elected authorities and highlight their evident will and commitment to contribute to the democratic transition, led by Venezuelans themselves, as the only way to achieve institutional, economic and social reconstruction in Venezuela.
2. Express their firm rejection of the continuing of the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro in holding parliamentary elections without minimum democratic guarantees and without the participation of all political forces. They reiterate that democracy will be fully restored in Venezuela through free, fair and credible presidential and parliamentary elections, which must include an independent National Electoral Council, an impartial Supreme Court, guarantees of security for voters, an updated electoral census, full freedom of the press and access to the media, political participation of all Venezuelans and be accompanied by independent international electoral observation.
3. Express their condemnation of the systematic violation of human rights perpetrated by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, which includes presumed crimes against humanity (as documented in the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of the United Nations Human Rights Council of September 16, 2020, the report to the Council of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) and reaffirm their support for resolution 45/20 of the Council, which renewed the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission for 2 years so that it may continue to deepen its research and analysis
4. Recommend that the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission should be the subject of the preliminary examination of the situation in Venezuela carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Likewise, that in light of the findings of these investigations, those responsible for these crimes be tried and that the victims and witnesses receive due reparation and protection.
5. Express urgency for a thorough investigation of the illegitimate regime's connections with organized crime, terrorism, transnational corruption networks, drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling. They call on the competent international authorities to redouble their efforts in addressing this issue.
6. Recognize the dimension and complexity of the humanitarian, economic, political, social and environmental crisis in Venezuela, which is being aggravated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its impact on the security and stability of the region and its international implications. They welcome the work of the Pan American Health Organization and reiterate the need for the regime to respect the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence in order to strengthen the response capacity of humanitarian organizations. Likewise, they reiterate the importance of supporting the efforts of host countries in the region with Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and call on cooperating donors to redouble their support for the humanitarian response to the multidimensional crisis that is in evidence in Venezuela as a whole.
7. They reiterate that they will continue to seek convergence with other international actors to mobilize a common response from the international community that will contribute to the defence of human rights in Venezuela and to the urgent restoration of democracy and the rule of law, which will put an end to the usurpation, including the conditions for a peaceful solution to the crisis led by the Venezuelans themselves.