Human Rights Watch says a special Venezuelan police unit has been targeting and killing young men in poor neighbourhoods as President Nicolas Maduro’s administration seeks to clamp down on the opposition.
The rights group released a report Wednesday documenting nine cases involving the Special Action Forces, known by its Spanish acronym, FAES.
Human Rights Watch contends the individuals were tortured or executed as part of a potentially larger pattern of extrajudicial killings taking place under the guise of “resistance of authority.”
The report is the second in recent months to allege human rights violations by the FAES.
Rights groups are urging the U.N. Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate a wide range of documented abuses and identify those responsible.
