Foreign Affairs minister Vale Rangel said the new Constitution,...

Foreign Affairs minister Vale Rangel said the new Constitution, which reflected the most recent developments in international human rights law, gave full effect to all the human rights instruments to which Venezuela was a party. The death penalty had been abolished and the constitution obliged the authorities to investigate and punish human rights violations committed by State agents and to compensate the victims. It included machinery to overcome impunity, to prevent and punish torture and enforced disappearances, to educate the security forces in respect for human rights and to defend the rights of vulnerable groups. The ordinary courts were given exclusive competence to deal with offences of violation of human rights and the scope of the military courts was restricted. The post of ombudsman had been created and a human rights defender had been elected in each state.