UN experts call for transparency in appointment process of Attorney General and Ombudsperson in Venezuela - JURIST - News

## Summary
News alexandersr / Pixabay UN experts on Thursday urged Venezuela to ensure that the country’s Attorney General and Ombudsperson are appointed based on merit, stressing that both positions play a crucial role in protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law. After the recent resignation of Tarek William Saab and Alfredo Ruiz from their positions as Attorney General of the Republic and Ombudsperson, the Nomination Evaluation Committee had appointed interim authorities until the finalization of the appointment process. This appointment process reflects a broader strategy that has become the focus of Venezuela’s authoritarian consolidation over the past two decades, with analysts pinpointing that the ruling party’s systematic capture of state institutions, from the judiciary to the electoral council, has allowed it to weather economic collapse, international sanctions, and political opposition, effectively eliminating any meaningful accountability. The appointment process for the highest positions is critical, as it serves as the primary mechanism for upholding safeguards against the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders.

## Article Content
News
alexandersr
/ Pixabay
UN experts on Thursday
urged
Venezuela to ensure that the country’s Attorney General and  Ombudsperson are appointed based on merit, stressing that both positions play a crucial role in protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law.
The experts further added:
We regret that in the past, appointments to these positions were made outside the constitutionally established procedures and carried out in breach of minimum standards of merit, transparency, independence, citizen participation and accountability, appointing the same people over and over.
After the recent resignation of Tarek William Saab and Alfredo Ruiz from their positions as Attorney General of the Republic and Ombudsperson, the Nomination Evaluation Committee had appointed interim authorities until the finalization of the appointment process. However, the party, which is composed only of sitting deputies from the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, led by former disgraced President
Nicol
ás Maduro
, has drawn
criticism
for being an undemocratic body that excludes the country’s broad opposition and civil society, further entrenching Maduro’s grip on power despite his widely disputed claim to the presidency.
Despite the list of candidates having been released, rights groups have pointed out that the criteria used to evaluate and vet potential appointees is
not transparent
, making it impossible to verify whether those with concrete allegations of rights abuses have been properly screened out. This lack of transparency in appointing the Attorney General and Ombudsperson was most evident in the 2017 dismissal of Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz for dissent. She was subsequently replaced by Tarek William Saab, a longstanding government ally, who was then replaced by Larry Devoe.
This appointment process reflects a
broader strategy
that has become the focus of Venezuela’s authoritarian consolidation over the past two decades, with analysts pinpointing that the ruling party’s systematic capture of state institutions, from the judiciary to the electoral council, has allowed it to weather economic collapse, international sanctions, and political opposition, effectively eliminating any meaningful accountability.
The appointment process for the highest positions is critical, as it serves as the primary mechanism for upholding safeguards against the
arbitrary detention
of human rights defenders.

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- However, the party, which is composed only of sitting deputies from the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, led by former disgraced President Nicol ás Maduro , has drawn criticism for being an undemocratic body that excludes the country’s broad opposition and civil society, further entrenching Maduro’s grip on power despite his widely disputed claim to the presidency.

### Implications
N/A

### Expert Commentary
This article covers attorney, general, positions topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 357.