ELF started its work on Venezuela in 2015 and, since then, this work has never stopped. In the first year, our work focused on the re-establishment of the rule of law and on the independence of the judiciary, which became the subject of two reports accessible through the “publications” section in our website.
After this, we focused on supporting various Venezuelan NGOs and lawyers in relation to human rights violations committed by Government officials. This included support for Venezuelan lawyers and NGOs in relation to the legal international mechanisms applicable to the situation in Venezuela as well as in supporting Venezuelan lawyers who had been harassed, persecuted, prosecuted and arbitrarily detained by Venezuelan officials just for their status as lawyers representing citizens’ rights violated by the State.
Our current work in Venezuela considers the work that ELF has undertaken in the past (as explained above), updating it to fit the new landscape opened up in Venezuela since January 2026. We will continue supporting Venezuelan NGOs and lawyers in seeking a better future for their country based on real and effective rule of law (with a strong and independent judiciary), while supporting their efforts in seeking justice for the victims of the repression and promoting their safety as much as possible whenever they are threatened.