Venezuela


This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.

For Venezuela, TJET has collected information on: four amnesties between 1979 and 2007; 55 domestic trials starting between 1988 and 2019; and one truth commission mandated in 2017.

Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.


Country Background

Democratic Transition

TJET records no democratic transitions in Venezuela between 1970 and 2020.

Venezuela is formally a federal presidential republic that has held regular elections since the late 1960s. However, it is now rightly considered an electoral autocracy because one party dominates, refuses to cede power, and consistently violates fundamental rights.

The electoral dominance of the Democratic Action Party came to an end in 1998, with the election of Hugo Chávez's United Socialist Party. Chávez -- a former solider of the Venezuelan military who led a coup in 1992 and was later amnestied and released -- ruled the country from 1999 until his death in 2013.

Resistance to the Chávez regime unleashed state-led violence, and a series of reforms concentrated power in the hands of the executive. Venezuela's liberal democratic institutions have been eroding since 1999. Elections are flawed and the president serves six-year terms with no term limits. First elected in 2013, Chávez successor Nicolas Maduro won the most recent presidential election in 2018. Opposition candidates were not allowed to run, and regional observers considered the elections illegitimate.

In 2019, Juan Guaidó claimed to be rightful interim president of the country under Article 233 of the Constitution. He claim was recognized by the United States and several other states. However, Maduro refused to recognize the interim regime, sparking a years-long democratic crisis in the country, which Maduro survived.

Opposition leaders were barred from holding a referendum to remove Maduro from office in January 2022. Under Maduro, freedoms of expression and press are violated. The government uses torture and forced disappearances to crack down on dissent. A 2014 decline in oil prices and the Maduro administration's difficulties managing the economy led to a sharp economic decline and decrease in the standard of living for ordinary Venezuelans, causing over 7 million people to migrate.

Violent Conflict

Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records two violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1982 and 1992 (during two calendar years), involving two distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government.

In 1982, the Marxist Bandera Roja (Red Flag) party, took up arms and engaged in a small-scale guerrilla war against the government, which was put down by a military counter-insurgency.

Street protests have for decades been the critical mechanism to challenge the Venezuelan government. In 1989, a wave of protests emerged in response to neoliberal austerity measures implemented in line with IMF regulations. Called the Caracazo, the protests shook the country. The protests were met with a violent repression by government forces, later deemed excessive by the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights. It was in the wake of the Caracazo that Hugo Chávez launched Operation Zamora, a 1992 coup attempt that aimed to overthrow the neoliberal regime and replace it with a leftist government.

The Caracazo revealed and exacerbated the dysfunction of the country's political establishment. However, during the Chávez electoral era, political polarization and conflict only intensified. At this time, actors embraced discourses and strategies that were typical of an existential struggle for supremacy. The Chávez administration relied on regular repression to control opposition. Since, state-led coercion has became a relied upon practice with significant human rights implications.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.


Transitional Justice Data

As of 2020, Venezuela ranks 23rd out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.


Amnesties

Venezuela had four amnesties between 1979 and 2007. One was passed after internal armed conflict. Two amnesties released political prisoners.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


Domestic Trials

TJET has compiled data on 55 domestic prosecutions between 1988 and 2019. These include 53 regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which 64 persons were convicted; and one intrastate conflict prosecution of opposition members, in which no one was convicted.

Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


Truth Commissions

Venezuela mandated one truth commission in 2017. The commission began its operations in 2017; TJET has found no evidence of completion.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


UN Investigations

Venezuela was subject to one UN investigation between 2019 and 2023.

Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.


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