One year has passed since Venezuela’s unfair presidential election on July 28, 2024. Following Nicolás Maduro’s theft of its results, a brutal wave of repression swept across the nation, silencing opposition voices and crushing dissent. In the months that followed, Venezuela has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of political persecution, the systematic closure of civic space, and a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis that has plagued the country for years. These events have also affected the relationship between the United States and Venezuela, with new shifts under the Trump administration.
In our report, we analyze the current situation through an extensive examination of reports from local organizations and international human rights bodies issued throughout this tumultuous year, arriving at conclusions that inform our policy recommendations for the international community, including, the U.S. Given the ongoing flow of events, the facts and analysis presented are current as of July 23, 2025. Below is a summary of the key findings and recommendations from our report – providing you with what you need to know about Venezuela’s trajectory one year after millions of people’s vote for change was stolen.
Full report available in Spanish here.
- Political persecution has consolidated an apparatus of control that reaches the threshold of state terrorism
Political persecution has not ceased following the July 28, 2024 election, with the Venezuelan government consolidating and deepening an apparatus of political persecution and social control that reaches the threshold of state terrorism practices, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The UN Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Venezuela documented serious human rights violations and has determined that it has reasons to believe crimes against humanity have been committed, in pursuance of a policy to silence and repress persons opposed to the government or perceived as such. Such a policy consists of a crackdown on protesters, enforced disappearance of political opponents and critical voices, arbitrary detentions, and censorship. People arbitrarily detained are charged with serious crimes like “terrorism”, provided with a public defense against their will, denied access to medical care, and remain incommunicado from lawyers and family members.
In the last year, attacks against the civilian population within the framework of a policy of political persecution have continued. The government has consolidated legal measures to close civic space, establishing a normative framework that severely limits rights to freedom of expression, association, and political participation. Legislation passed has further expanded state powers to control and sanction the legitimate exercise of fundamental rights, and has curtailed the capacity of civil society organizations to operate and receive funding. Civil society organizations have been subject to surveillance, defamation, and other threats. Meanwhile, human rights defenders faced increased rates of criminalization.
- Electoral conditions have worsened, undermining participation
In the aftermath of last year’s elections, two other electoral events have been called: the regional and legislative elections held in May 2025,municipal elections scheduled for July 27. These elections, however, have failed to meet the minimum conditions of transparency, fairness, and legality. Far from correcting the serious irregularities of the July 28, 2024 presidential process, the Venezuelan government has continued to instrumentalize electoral processes to consolidate its power, applying strategies to divide the opposition, imposing unverifiable results, and disregarding even constitutional mandates and international recommendations. These elections weaken citizen confidence in the right to vote as a tool for democratic change.
- An (un-)constitutional reform looms as a threat
As part of a proposed constitutional reform set for 2026, Nicolás Maduro is seeking to formally establish the Communal State as the foundation of Venezuela’s political system. This model, promoted under the banner of building a “protagonistic democracy,” envisions a system of governance based not on elected institutions but on communal councils, communes, and other local bodies that are directly controlled or heavily influenced by the Executive.
In practice, this model concentrates power in the hands of the ruling party, restricting political activity to those who align with official ideology and reinforcing exclusionary, clientelist networks. It also creates parallel institutions—such as communal justice systems—that further erode the independence of the judiciary and eliminate checks on executive authority, already nonexistent in practice. While the communal state is framed as a grassroots alternative to traditional politics, its institutionalization through constitutional reform would codify a profoundly anti-democratic system. If implemented, it would dismantle the principles of federalism, the separation of powers, and popular sovereignty based on universal suffrage—marking a decisive break from Venezuela’s democratic foundations.
- The complex humanitarian emergency continues
Despite some signs of economic improvement between 2021 and 2024, Venezuela remains in the grip of a deep humanitarian crisis that continues to deteriorate in key areas. Millions of people still struggle to access basic goods and services—such as food, healthcare, and clean water—on a daily basis. The government’s refusal to publish reliable economic data, coupled with the harassment and criminalization of independent analysts and humanitarian workers, has made it nearly impossible to grasp the full scope of the crisis. At the same time, a sharp drop in international aid has placed the already fragile humanitarian infrastructure on the verge of collapse. This complex emergency isn’t just a backdrop to Venezuela’s political turmoil—it’s a central factor. Without acknowledging the scale and impact of this crisis, it’s impossible to fully understand the barriers Venezuelans face to political participation or the widespread frustration driving social unrest.
- U.S policy toward Venezuela has been wrought with competing interests and contradictory approaches
While bipartisan consensus seems to exist in the U.S. in recognizing Venezuela as an authoritarian government that commits serious human rights violations, the approach to Venezuela in foreign policy has varied from one administration to another, creating mixed results and unintended consequences. Under the Trump administration, there is reason to believe that differing positions on Venezuela and competing interests are at play. On one hand, there is the need to curb migration and ensure that Venezuela continues to receive deportation flights without interruption; on the other, there is the goal of countering an authoritarian government with political and economic ties that run counter to U.S. interests.
Current policy changes risk deepening humanitarian suffering while potentially undermining information-gathering capabilities. While the complex humanitarian emergency preceded sectoral sanctions, these sanctions deepen the severity of the humanitarian situation, with a profound impact on the already reduced productive sector and ultimately on the population. The drastic reduction in international assistance and cooperation by the U.S. and other donors diminishes the international community’s capacity to rely on reliable and up-to-date information about developments in Venezuela, thereby weakening the social fabric and jeopardizing the sustainability of civil society.
This combination of a humanitarian crisis, political persecution, and civic space closure remains a central factor in Venezuelan forced displacement, while restrictions imposed by countries in the region and hardening migration policies in the U.S. only aggravate the vulnerability of migrants and refugees without addressing the root causes of migration.
Based on our findings, some of the main policy recommendations to the international community and, in particular, to the U.S. government, are:
- U.S. policy toward Venezuela should center on human rights and democratic principles, supporting international accountability efforts by human rights bodies. Restoring international cooperation and support for human rights mechanisms is essential to preserving evidence and ensuring justice.
- Sanctions policy should prioritize targeted measures against individuals responsible for corruption and abuses, rather than broad sectoral sanctions that exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Any sanctions relief must be tied to concrete progress by the Venezuelan government and must ensure there are mechanisms in place to avoid corruption.
- Protection mechanisms and other legal pathways should be strengthened for Venezuelan migrants, including expedited asylum, support for human rights defenders, and the promotion of regional humanitarian responses, while avoiding rhetoric or policies that criminalize Venezuelan migration.
- The international community should adopt a coordinated strategy that promotes democratic openings, demands an end to repression, and protects human rights. Future elections must meet key conditions recommended by independent international observation missions and domestic experts, including restoring the independence of the electoral authority (CNE), reinstating banned candidates and parties, ensuring transparent timelines, conducting technical audits, updating the electoral registry, and permitting independent international observation. At the same time, governments should publicly denounce repressive laws, such as the NGO Oversight Law, the Bolívar Law, and the proposed constitutional reform for 2026, which threaten the rights to association, freedom of speech, and political participation. Financial and diplomatic support should be directed to those documenting and monitoring electoral processes, as well as defending civic space, both within and outside Venezuela.
- Addressing Venezuela’s humanitarian emergency requires an urgent reversal of the decline in international funding, with renewed support for the Humanitarian Response Plan and a focus on vulnerable populations and critical sectors, such as health, food, education, and water. Governments must press for the resumption of public data reporting and the end of criminalization of those producing independent information. Regional coordination is also crucial for responding to the increasing migration and protection needs, particularly in neighboring countries. This includes supporting regularization, asylum, and work authorization mechanisms. Priority should be given to sustained, flexible funding for organizations aiding vulnerable populations, and to efforts that counteract government restrictions aimed at silencing and criminalizing civil society.
