Since 2015, Venezuela has been experiencing a complex humanitarian emergency that affects access to food, health, basic services and human mobility, while at the same time there has been a rapid deterioration of civic and democratic space. The political context is marked by high polarisation, institutional conflicts and limitations on citizen participation.
Since 2024, the country has been going through a delicate period due to the controversial presidential elections in July of that year, which were marked by a lack of transparency, repression and international isolation, which has deepened the human rights crisis.
The context described above has led to unprecedented migration in the region. It is estimated that almost 8 million people have left Venezuela, of whom almost 7 million have been taken in by Latin American countries such as Colombia and Peru.
Mobility remains one of the key focuses of the humanitarian response programme in the country, as it is one of the markers of vulnerability. Migrants face protection risks due to the conditions in which mobility occurs. Venezuelan migrants are mostly young people between the ages of 15 and 49, the majority of whom are men. The reasons for migration are the search for better living conditions and, to a lesser extent, family reunification.
These mobility figures have had a significant impact on civic space in Venezuela, as the young and productive population has been reduced, which has a direct impact on active and dynamic participation in the public sphere, reducing social cohesion and community participation in relevant issues such as political and social rights.
In this context, civic space has faced new challenges. The Law on the Control, Regularisation, Operation and Financing of NGOs and Similar Organisations (NGO Law) introduces strict controls on the operation and financing of social organisations, with provisions that could limit their autonomy and operability. International organisations, as well as international protection mechanisms such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have warned about these measures.
For its part, the draft Law against Fascism, Neo-Fascism and Similar Expressions, approved in its first reading in April 2024, has raised concerns due to its ambiguous wording, the breadth of its sanctions and its possible use to restrict legitimate expressions of opinion and public action. During its discussion in the National Assembly, several United Nations rapporteurs sent communications to the Venezuelan government expressing their concern about the bill, due to its potential danger of restricting human rights such as freedom of expression, and urging a review of the text.
Similarly, various organisations have documented legal and administrative actions taken against organisations, human rights defenders and social activists, especially after the presidential elections in July 2024. These actions have included attacks, court summonses, restrictions on mobility, stigmatisation campaigns and an increase in arbitrary detentions, which have raised concerns among national and international organisations.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that, in July 2025, the National Assembly agreed to declare the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, persona non grata and requested the permanent closure of the Office established in Venezuela, which has also suffered in the recent past from tensions between the government and human rights protection mechanisms.
Despite these conditions, Venezuelan civil society remains active, deploying initiatives in defence of human rights, humanitarian assistance, monitoring of public policies and community strengthening, maintaining its commitment to the promotion of an informed and participatory citizenry.
Snapshots
Country snapshots capture the current state of the enabling environment for civil society and provide a quick overview of significant events and trends that have occurred over the past 4 months. Click on a component in the timeline to see the corresponding Enabling Environment Snapshot.
Alerts
The Early Warning Mechanism documents changes and critical trends in the enabling environment for civil society. The mechanism works by information-gathering work focusing on events that impact the enabling environment. The EU SEE consortium assess these events to trigger alerts indicating a downward or upward trend in the enabling environment.