Venezuela’s Repressive State Machinery Remains Active Despite Maduro’s Arrest, UN Mission Warns

By Nuestra America Magazine News Desk

Venezuela’s repressive state machinery continues to operate despite the abrupt apprehension of former president Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026. This was stated Thursday by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela while presenting an update on its investigations before the UN Human Rights Council.

According to the report presented by the independent experts, the structures responsible for serious human rights violations in Venezuela remain intact even after Maduro’s detention during the U.S. operation that transferred him to New York to face charges related to narcoterrorism and drug trafficking.

The mission noted that institutions within the security apparatus—including intelligence services, police forces, and judicial structures—continue functioning with the same patterns of political persecution that characterized Maduro’s government. According to the report, dozens of politically motivated detentions have been recorded since the former president’s removal, suggesting that the state’s repressive network was not dismantled following his capture.

The UN experts recalled that previous investigations by the mission had already documented extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture, and other cruel treatment against opposition figures, activists, and citizens critical of the Venezuelan government.

“Responsibility for these violations does not rest solely with Nicolás Maduro,” the investigators stated, emphasizing that numerous senior officials, military commanders, and leaders of security agencies also allegedly participated in or facilitated crimes that could constitute crimes against humanity.

The report warns that the continued presence of these officials in positions of power complicates any genuine political transition. Although authorities who assumed control after Maduro’s detention have announced measures such as possible amnesties and institutional reforms, human rights organizations argue that the judicial system continues to be used as a tool of political persecution.

The mission also reiterated its call for international investigators to be granted full access to Venezuela to verify conditions on the ground and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are held accountable before international justice.

The UN body concluded that the capture of the former head of state does not mean the end of the repressive system that consolidated power for more than a decade. For the experts, the real challenge will be dismantling the institutional structures that enabled repression and guaranteeing justice for the victims.

In the words of the mission, Venezuela’s future stability will depend not only on political changes at the top of government but also on a deep transformation of the state apparatus that for years was used to silence dissent and control the population.