Guterres says he is “concerned” about violence in Venezuela

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke by telephone this Friday (20) with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and expressed his “concern about the post-election violence and accusations of human rights violations” in the country.

The call was the result of an initiative by the Venezuelan dictator, Guterres’ spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, explained in a press conference.

In the phone call, Guterres reiterated to Maduro that it is necessary to “resolve any political dispute peacefully through genuine and inclusive dialogue.”

Dujarric did not explain what message Maduro conveyed, but said he “spoke very clearly and frankly about how he sees the situation.”

In previous statements, Guterres has demanded that Venezuela release detailed results of the July 28 elections, which it has not yet done, and has lamented the lack of transparency by the country’s authorities.

However, Guterres also recently said that the economic sanctions imposed by the United States “do not help” to resolve the situation in the South American country.

Despite these words, the foreign minister of the Chavista regime, Yván Gil, criticized Guterres last week, saying that the UN secretary general “avoids condemning the application of unilateral coercive measures (and) sides with those who impose sanctions illegally.”