Latin America And Human Rights: The Never-Ending Crisis In Venezuela, Cuba And Nicaragua

As Latin America continues to experience some of the longest non-international armed conflicts due to the presence of organised crime, gangs and authoritarian governments, a state of ongoing unrest grapples the region.

In 2022, Human Rights Watch reported that the situation of human rights and its abuse is one the “gravest” seen in Latin America. Based on the World Report for 2022, Tamara Taracuik Broner, the former Human Rights Watch acting director for the Americas, wrote that Latin America faced some of the “most alarming reversal of basic freedoms granted in democratic spaces".

However, R Viswanathan, the former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay noted an improvement in the Latin American region and, especially after the 2000s, which brought an end to military dictatorships in various countries.

In conversation, the former diplomat says: “Latin America has been moving towards more democratic and healthier forms of governance. Highlighting the re-election of Lula da Silva in Brazil in 2023, the Latin America expert stated that countries in the region are moving towards leaders that are more people-oriented.”

However, despite the progress, Ambassador Viswanathan identified three Latin American countries that remain in the middle of a democratic crisis—Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

What’s happening In Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua?

In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro managed to secure third term as president in 2024. However, the opposition party led by María Corina Machado and represented by presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claimed that their victory had been “stolen” through means of vote rigging and election fraud.

Following the July elections, widespread unrest erupted in Venezuela, prompting the arrest of thousands of Venezuelans. This unrest not only saw a rampant crackdown on peaceful protests and the right to freedom of speech and expression, but also resulted in the silencing of the political opposition.

With Maduro’s crackdown on dissent and ‘Operation Knock-Knock’ underway, an arrest warrant was issued for Gonzalez, prompting him to flee the country and seek asylum in Spain.

Writing for Americas Quarterly, Ms Broner says the arrest warrant for Gonzalez and his exile to Spain is “a wake-up call regarding how far the Maduro regime is willing to go and its consequences”.

However, Ambassador Viswanathan said the role of the sanctions imposed by the United States and the millions of dollars worth of bounty placed on Maduro’s head is trapping Venezuela in a cycle of unfair elections.

The former diplomat adds that America’s sanctions have also pushed Venezuela towards closer ties with Russia and Iran, hence increasing US’ surveillance over Caracas. As long as this continues, the former Indian Ambassador to Caracas said that US will remain a “key obstacle to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

Viswanathan, who is a Latin America expert, elaborated that the Maduro government and the ruling Chavista party cannot afford to lose the elections. “Even if they lose, they will continue to rule over Venezuela as they will not allow the opposition favoured by Washington to come into power."

During a conversation on the various human rights abuses and violations in Venezuela, the former diplomat highlighted the role the US has played in making Venezuela what it is today. According to him in this fight between the United States and the Chavista government of Venezuela, the people of the country become the victims.

“Democracy is fractured, and the economy continues to be in ruins,” he says, adding that the economic sanctions imposed by the US continue to cripple the Venezuelan economy, which, in turn, has triggered high inflation, food insecurity and poverty. These drastic conditions have also caused over five million Venezuelans to flee their own country and take refuge elsewhere.

Cuba

Similar intervention from the United States has also resulted in a dire situation in Cuba. As per Ambassador Viswanathan, one of the leading factors contributing to the turbulent situation in Venezuela and Cuba are the sanctions imposed by the United States.

Following the Cuban Revolution under Fidel Castro and the US’ failed attempts of regime change, numerous sanctions from Washington and its policy of isolation plunged Cuba into a deep economic crisis.

The existence of a Communist regime in Cuba, in America’s backyard is a testimony to the resilience of the Cuban revolution. As per Ambassador Viswanathan, despite Cuba’s fight to survive, the US’ isolation of Havana has severely contributed to the human rights situation in the country.

As per Human Rights Watch's World Report for 2024, the Cuban government, now under Miguel Diaz-Canal, the only non-Castro to hold the position since the revolution, has continued to “repress and punish virtually all forms of dissent and public criticism”.

For years, Cubans continue to have their rights impacted due to the ongoing economic crisis. Speaking to HRW, the head of the Cuban pharmaceutical industry blamed the US embargo on Cuba as the main reason authorities were unable to obtain medicines for the people.

Apart from this, Cubans have been enduring blackouts, repression, and acute shortages of food, medicine and other necessities. Since 2021, the number of demonstrations across Havana has increased, prompting a stricter crackdown from the government.

Nicaragua

While severe embargos and sanctions from the West and the US have added to the crisis in Venezuela and Cuba, Ambassador Viswanathan noted that the situation in Nicaragua has been deteriorating due to the totalitarian rule of Daniel Ortega.

Daniel Ortega won the general election in 2006 and took office as the President of Nicaragua in 2007. Ortega, along with his wife Rosario Murillo as Vice President in 2018, took control of all branches of the government and paved the way for his indefinite re-election.

The political and economic unrest in Managua reached a triggering point in 2018 when Ortega announced a reduction in social security benefits as a cost-cutting measure. This move sparked mass protests in the country as thousands called for his resignation. However, this unrest paved the way for a stricter crackdown from the government.

Ortega, who won the 2021 general elections which were conducted without any democratic guarantees, is seen as a dictator by Nicaraguans and by the globe.

As Nicaragua continues to grapple with political and economic unrest, in 2024, Daniel Ortega also banned around 1,500 NGOs in the country and confiscated their offices—this list includes Nicaraguan Red Cross and other Catholic charities, which he considers as “hostile entities”.

Earlier this year, the Central American University in the country was shut down and accused of being a “terrorist centre”. Apart from the strict ban on NGOs, independent media organisations, and critics, Ortega has also stripped hundreds of Nicaraguans of their citizenship and expelled them to the United States for being "traitors”.

 A Never-Ending Crisis: Is There A Way Forward?

Dating back to the era of Spanish Colonial Rule which subjected the indigenous community to brutal treatment from rulers, human rights abuse continues to remain a common theme across Latin American countries.

The ripples of unrest continue to spread across Latin American countries. Last week, a political battle between the presidents of Bolivia turned violent as supporters of popular and controversial former leftist president Evo Morales clashed with supporters of current President Luis Arce.

Furthermore, similar unrest is seen across the Caribbean countries such as Haiti, where the rise of gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbeque’ Chérizier led to nationwide crisis and the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Discussing a way forward for the region, Ambassador Viswanathan highlighted progress in various countries such as Colombia, Mexico and Brazil. However, for countries such as Venezuela and Cuba, the Latin American expert noted that as long as the United States continues to hold a “sword” over such countries, there will be no improvement, trapping the countries in a never-ending state of crisis.