An oil tanker in the Maracaibo lake, near Cabimas, Venezuela, December 18, 2025. Photo: Henry Chirinos/EFE.
The Venezuelan government stated that the recent report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) constitutes a resounding legal and political condemnation of the armed blockade imposed by the United States. The report demonstrates that this policy gravely violates international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
On Wednesday, December 24, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil highlighted that the statement by independent UN experts confirms what Venezuela has been stating for years: that Washington is carrying out a colonial-style strategy of threats, force, and plunder against the nation. “The truth about Venezuela is breaking through around the world,” Gil stated, underscoring that US practices have been “legally and morally exposed” before the international community.
According to the OHCHR report, the maritime blockade announced and enforced by the United States against Venezuela lacks any legal basis, as there is no right to impose unilateral sanctions against a country through an armed blockade. UN experts warned that such actions constitute a prohibited use of force, expressly recognized as illegal armed aggression in the Definition of Aggression adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1974.
The document also notes that aggression is a crime under international law, subject to universal jurisdiction, which empowers all States to investigate and prosecute such conduct, irrespective of the country in which it is carried out. Experts further warned that the illegal use of force poses a grave threat to the right to life and other human rights, not only in Venezuela but throughout the Caribbean region.
The report comes amid growing tension after the United States seized Venezuelan oil tankers in international waters. On December 20, Nicolás Maduro’s government reported the seizure of a second private tanker by the United States. Meanwhile, on December 10, Washington seized a first vessel off the Venezuelan coast, arguing that it was transporting “sanctioned” crude oil between Venezuela and Iran.
Russia Reaffirms Unwavering Support for Venezuela Amid US Imperialist Aggression
A week later, US President Donald Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, a measure that Caracas described as an act of maritime piracy and direct aggression. In response to this situation, Venezuela demanded that the UN Security Council adopt immediate measures to compel the United States to withdraw its military forces from the Caribbean and end the blockade.
Despite the US threats, President Nicolás Maduro reiterated that Venezuela will continue to trade its oil, exercising its sovereign right to use its natural resources. The Venezuelan government maintains that Washington’s actions seek to economically suffocate and destabilize the country, in open violation of the principles of non-intervention, sovereign equality, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
According to Venezuela, the backing of the United Nations system reinforces the legitimacy of its international complaint and deepens the political isolation of US policy. This comes at a time when various countries and multilateral organizations are calling for an end to unilateral sanctions and the use of force as an instrument of international coercion.
The UN report does not hesitate to describe the latest US actions as piracy and an act of war to which Venezuela may respond militarily by invoking Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil reaffirmed Venezuela’s condemnation of the US violations, which undermine the human right to life and the region’s rights to peace, free trade, and navigation. “We value the call for collective action by UN member states to protect and safeguard international law,” the minister added.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
