Venezuelan armed forces accused of torture

Geneva, Aug 8 (IANS) Venezuela's security forces have mistreated and tortured protesters and detainees in a generalised and systematic manner, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.

Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the OHCHR had received "credible reports" of Venezuelan security forces' "inhumane, cruel and degrading" treatment of detainees, adding that in many cases it could be defined as torture, reports Efe news.

Shamdasani said that these instances of mistreatment were not isolated cases.

The spokeswoman also denounced the dismissal of the country's attorney general, Luisa Ortega, and said it was a further sign that Venezuela's rule of law was fractured and the cracks were widening.

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