This ALERT FOR REGIONAL PEACE states: “Organizations, networks, and social and human rights platforms in Latin America express our strong rejection of the military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife perpetrated by the United States.”
The statement “reaffirms that military aggression can never be a solution and that the defense of life, the self-determination of peoples, and regional peace must prevail over any geopolitical interest.”
Among the signatories to this ALERT are several organizations accompanied by Peace Brigades International (PBI): the Honduran Alternative for Community and Environmental Vindication (ARCAH) in Honduras; the Humanitarian Action Corporation for Coexistence and Peace in Northeast Antioquia (CAHUCOPANA); Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS); Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee (CSPP); Corporation Judicial Freedom (CJL); Social Corporation for Community Advice and Training Services (COSPACC); Association for Social Research and Action (NOMADESC) in Colombia; and the Space for Civil Society Organizations for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists (Espacio OSC) in Mexico.
Other PBI accompanied organizations, defenders and communities that have posted on social media include: the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH); Carlos Ernesto Choc in Guatemala; and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CAJAR) in Colombia.
CAJAR social media post: “Attention More than 900 organizations, networks, platforms, social movements, and human rights groups in the country and Latin America. We strongly condemn the military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the United States!”
COPINH social media post: “COPINH repudiates the infamous attack of the US Government and Army against the people and territory of Venezuela.”
Additionally, the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) posted this statement on Instagram. It highlights: “From CREDHOS we manifest our absolute REJECT to IMPERIALIST INTERVENTION and call on the progressive and democratic forces of the country to join efforts in defense of national sovereignty and self-determination of peoples.”
Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH) social media post: “Berta Oliva, General Coordinator of COFADEH, speaks out against an event that seemed unthinkable: an attack that violates basic principles of respect between nations.
What happened confirms that terrorism and political violence continue to be used as tools of power.
From this territory, she makes an urgent appeal for national and international solidarity in the face of an attack that cannot be normalized.”
PBI-Canada
PBI-Canada will continue to amplify the voices of the organizations, defenders and communities that PBI accompanies.
FURTHER READING
United Nations
This statement posted by a spokesperson on behalf of Antonio Guterres notes: “The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region. Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected. The Secretary-General calls on all actors in Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.”
Another United Nations statement issued today also notes: “The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has voiced grave concern over the country’s human rights situation following the US attack and capture of President Maduro, urging that accountability for long-documented abuses must not be eclipsed by the unfolding crisis.”
It then further highlights: “Expert member Alex Neve stressed that alleged violations do not justify a military intervention that breaches international law, while the illegality of such an intervention does not diminish the responsibility of Venezuelan officials for years of repression, amounting to crimes against humanity.”
UN to meet on Monday
Reuters now reports: “The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday [January 5] after the U.S. attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving autocratic President Nicolas Maduro, a move that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres views as setting ‘a dangerous precedent’. Colombia, backed by Russia and China, requested the meeting of the 15-member council, diplomats said.”
Canada
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has now posted: “One of the first actions taken by Canada’s new government in March 2025 was to impose additional sanctions on Nicolás Maduro’s brutally oppressive and criminal regime — unequivocally condemning his grave breaches of international peace and security, gross and systematic human rights violations, and corruption.”
The prime minister adds: “In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law, sovereignty, and human rights, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law. We stand by the Venezuelan people’s sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.”
And earlier in the day, Canadian foreign affairs minister Anita Anand posted: “Since 2019, when Canada closed its embassy in Venezuela, we have refused to recognize any legitimacy of the Maduro regime and opposed its repression of the Venezuelan people, including the persecution of dissenters and particularly political leaders opposed to the regime.”
Anand adds: “In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law and democracy, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand by the people of Venezuela and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society.”
Human rights organizations
Human Rights Watch notes that it “will continue to monitor and investigate any US strikes on Venezuelan soil. The US extrajudicial execution of 115 people in vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, in the buildup to these strikes in Venezuela, are a worrying sign of the Trump administration’s disregard for its human rights obligations. Human Rights Watch will also monitor the response from the current Venezuelan authorities, including any further abuses against political opponents and critics in the country.”
And Amnesty International states that it is “alarmed that the attack against Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores by one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council further deepen the breakdown of international law and the rules-based order. These actions signal an international system run by military force, threats, and intimidation, and they increase the risks of copycat actions by others.”
